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Ana de Armas Shines in ‘John Wick’ Spin-Off ‘Ballerina’, Critics Fault Heavy Violence

Ana de Armas’s rigorous preparation with the 87Eleven stunt team underpins the film’s standout action sequences.

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Overview

  • Released on June 5, 2025, the film follows Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballerina trained by the Ruska Roma who embarks on a violent revenge mission after her father’s murder.
  • Set between John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, the spin-off features Keanu Reeves’s John Wick alongside Ian McShane’s Winston, Anjelica Huston’s Ruska Roma leader and the late Lance Reddick’s Charon.
  • Production enlisted the 87Eleven stunt team to design bespoke choreography, with de Armas undergoing intensive strength and stunt training to match the franchise’s high bar for action.
  • Gabriel Byrne appears as the enigmatic antagonist known as ‘The Chancellor’, whose sect orchestrates the events that propel Eve’s quest for vengeance.
  • Early reviews praise de Armas’s commanding performance and intricately staged fight scenes but caution that the film’s excessive violence and bombastic sound design may test audience tolerance.