Ballerina Trailer Puts Spotlight on Franchise’s Fiercest New Face

It has now been three weeks since From the World of John Wick: Ballerina — the Ana de Armas-led spin-off in the popular franchise — was first announced. In the months to come, the project will hit theatres on June 6, 2025. Since the reveal, fans of the franchise have been treated to a steady stream of release dates, posters, and trailers. Lionsgate has just unleashed the final trailer, and it does not disappoint.

The spin-off will be set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The 2019 installment saw Keanu Reeves’ John Wick reach the point of no return when he murdered on the grounds of the Continental Hotel. Sentenced to death by the High Table for killing crime boss Santino D’Antonio, Wick’s handlers split his multi-million-dollar bounty among the Five Families. As a fugitive on the run across New York City, Wick continued his journey by searching for allies among the Five Families, before finally setting his sights on the Ruska Roma’s doorstep.

The Ruska Roma, an Eastern European crime syndicate, is led by the enigmatic, no-nonsense Director (Anjelica Huston). As revealed by the third film in the franchise, the Director also ran the organization as a clandestine training facility for child ballerina-assassins. Director’s protégés were trained in martial arts in the dance studio on top of their dance and ballet routines. A few seconds of one of these ballerina recruits were caught on-screen in Parabellum while the character was rehearsing her routine alone on a stage set in the foreground. The character, Eve Macarro, who was played by Unity Phelan in the scene, is now the center of this spin-off and is being played by Ana de Armas.

Ana de Armas is not alone in this venture, as some notable returning members from the franchise are featured in the movie. They include the late Lance Reddick, who will make his last ever film appearance before his death in March 2023. He will play the role of Charon, an employee of the Continental who serves as the hotel’s concierge, as seen in the past three films. Ian McShane also makes a return in the film, reprising his role as Winston, manager of the Continental. In addition, Anjelica Huston will also reprise her role as the Director.

Eve Macarro will also have the support of Gabriel Byrne’s Chancellor, who is the film’s main antagonist. The Chancellor is also a high-ranking official in the town and will use his position to frame the townspeople to go after Eve. Sharon Duncan-Brewster plays the role of Nogi, Eve’s mentor. In addition to these new and returning cast members, both Norman Reedus and Catalina Sandino Moreno have been confirmed to feature in the film. David Castañeda has also been added to the cast.

Ballerina Tells an Emotional Story of Revenge While Maintaining Familiar Franchise Flair

September 2024 saw the release of the first trailer for Ballerina. The first preview for the film focused on Eve’s backstory, looking at the life that the character had before she was initiated into the Ruska Roma family. The flashbacks offered to fans in this first trailer showed Eve as an orphan who had lost her mother at a very young age, and the primary character’s motivation was the murder of Eve’s father.

Fans had a preview of the film’s antagonist in this first trailer, as a henchman for Gabriel Byrne’s character was shown while beating up an elderly man. However, with only very brief glimpses of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick in the first trailer, many fans and critics were looking for more Wick content and were wondering when he would show up in Ballerina. Fans would not have to wait long as the second trailer for the film was released on March 15, 2025.

In the second trailer, fans were treated to a few minutes of a showdown between Reeves’ character and Ana de Armas. It opened with a shot of John Wick standing alone in a cold and snowy location, almost hinting at some elements of wintry themes or snow in the movie, similar to the appearance of Mount Rushmore in Chapter 3. Fans were also shown an action sequence between Eve and Wick on top of a frozen lake, which is why fans finally got Wick content. In addition to the Easter eggs for Chapter 3, there was also a shot of Ana de Armas fighting in an elevator during this second preview.

The third and final trailer for Ballerina is not so different from the second. However, it does serve as an escalation, as the tone of the video is meaner. It begins with Ana de Armas caught in the crosshairs of John Wick’s gun. Following that, it shows brief flashes of new and previously released footage. Some scenes include multiple instances of action sequences, such as shooting and stabbing, in rapid succession. Ana de Armas can take on five opponents all at once, showing off how brutal the fight scenes will be.

In the third trailer for Ballerina, Ana de Armas is seen proving her worth with a line that would also serve as the film’s official tagline: “This isn’t done until they’re dead.” This line also tells the audience why Ana de Armas is going through all of the people in her way. She is doing it for the vengeance that she craves to satisfy the goals of her mission.