Ana de Armas Brings Deadly Grace to John Wick Spin-Off

Set to premiere on June 6, 2025, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina has been teasing us for what feels like an eternity with its charms. That being said, we’re not even three weeks from the date when Ana de Armas will return to theaters, so it’s about time. Naturally, Lionsgate has one last trailer up its sleeve — and if the previous two are any indication, then this one is sure to deliver on excitement, style, and action.

Ballerina is set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, 2019’s follow-up to the original. In the film, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) gets himself “excommunicado” from the High Table by killing one of the assembled crime bosses, Santino D’Antonio (an uncredited Pierfrancesco Favino), in the courtyard of the Continental Hotel. Chased by every assassin in New York with a multi-million-dollar price on his head, John manages to find his way to the headquarters of the Ruska Roma, a nomadic crime syndicate.

The Ruska Roma, led by the all-powerful Director (Anjelica Huston) and her right-hand (and father to her many children) Winston (Ian McShane), provides shelter and temporary employment for young girls who were indentured to them from a young age. At first, they train as ballerinas under the guidance of the ruthless Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), but when it’s all said and done, they’re trained as assassins who will eventually serve the High Table. During Parabellum, we even saw a young ballerina practicing on the dance floor — until John destroys her through the window with a shotgun.

That young ballerina, played by Unity Phelan, was Eve Macarro, and this is her story. Ballerina will chronicle Eve’s journey through her training as a dancer, her life at the Ruska Roma, and her eventual revenge mission on the day her father was murdered by a group of unknown attackers. Joining Ana de Armas in the film are Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Eve’s dance teacher, Gabriel Byrne as the Chancellor, the main villain of the movie, Norman Reedus as Daniel Pine, and both Catalina Sandino Moreno and David Castañeda.

An Explosive John Wick Spin-Off Filled with Intensity and Bittersweet Callbacks

The first trailer for Ballerina was released in September 2024 and focused on the character of Eve and her background. As noted, we learn that her father was murdered and that she joined the Ruska Roma with the single-minded purpose of exacting revenge on her father’s killers. The first trailer promised a more intimate origin story than what we’ve gotten with John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2.

A few other familiar faces will be there, including Huston and McShane returning to reprise their roles as the Director and Winston, respectively. Sadly, Lance Reddick, who passed away in March of last year, will be making his final appearance in the series as the Continental’s concierge, Charon.

In addition to these players, the film is also joined by newcomers Gabriel Byrne and Sharon Duncan-Brewster, who will play the Chancellor and Nogi, Eve’s trainer, respectively. The second trailer, which was released in March 2025, focused more on the action and featured a brief but intense meeting between John Wick and Eve in the snow. The second trailer didn’t give us much insight into the action either, but it at least suggested that the two of them would share the spotlight in the movie, even if Wick was being used to set Eve up on her mission.

Cut to now, and the final trailer for Ballerina is here, and it’s a whole lot meaner than either of the previous trailers. Opening on Eve being watched through a gun scope, the trailer then cuts into some new and previously seen footage, playing out as a pulse-pounding barrage of stabbing, gunning, shooting, and dodging. All of this is to further flesh out Ana de Armas as a physical presence in the role, as she lays waste to several opponents in rapid succession.

The trailer also makes clear her commitment to finishing the job, with one line speaking volumes about her drive: “This isn’t done until they’re dead.” If anything, this suggests that Ballerina is going to maintain the family style of killing while updating it to make it more individualized and personal. The choreography is once again tight, the action is packed, and the whole world is still as decadent as ever.

The added benefit, however, is that John Wick himself is now woven into the events of the Ballerina, not necessarily as the protagonist, but at least in a more active role than he has been in since the events of the second film. As far as the trailer is concerned, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina looks like the best of both worlds, with Ana de Armas at the forefront of it all.