With all their absurdity, gratuitous violence, and somewhat unbelievable physics, the fight scenes in John Wick are the best in the business. Part of that is down to the work of director Chad Stahelski, who himself was a stuntman and knows how to organize a great action scene. However, another large reason for the brilliance of John Wick’s out-there violence is the actual stunt coordinator, Stephen Dunlevy. And, with the announcement that a new film — Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas — is entering the canon, he’s had an opportunity to explain why the writers and creators have gone in this direction, and why the art of ballet is so important to the franchise.
Ballerina follows de Armas as she trains to become an assassin like the titular character of the John Wick franchise. The spin-off (which takes place between Chapter 3 — Parabellum and Chapter 4) is very much focused on her character, although it’s been confirmed we’ll see the return of Keanu as Wick, as well as one of Lance Reddick’s last on-screen appearances.
During an interview with Screenrant, Dunlevy was keen to discuss the importance of the dance art in the John Wick world, especially with regards to how it turns the assassins into the badasses they are — and not just in terms of giving them the ability to spin elegantly between bullets, nunchucks, and knives:
“One thing we wanted to stay away from was like, ‘Oh, it’s a ballerina,’ having her pirouette into a kick and everything like that. In the world of John Wick they learn ballet because it’s the determination and grit to be able to create that physicality being able to stick through ballet. That’s where we’re going with that world. It’s the grit and determination to keep going even when your toenails are falling off, they’re bleeding, you’ve got a damaged ankle. You’ve got to wrap it up and keep going. And that’s more where we’re focused with that.”
So, it seems that Wick’s ability to carry on despite gunshot wounds and a few well-timed smacks to the head stems somewhat from time dealing with the pain of learning ballet. While we’re sure the grace and flexibility of the training certainly help too, this perspective makes a lot more sense, given the extended action sequences and the fact that the assassins often find themselves having to recover from some pretty gnarly injuries.
Ballerina will focus on the early stages of de Armas’ character’s assassin career, unlike the rest of the franchise which follows Wick coming out of retirement to avenge the death of his puppy. As a result, many fans are incredibly excited to learn more about the mysterious, often confusing John Wick universe, specifically how these elite killers are trained, and how they become the monstrous murderers they are. It will also give us a chance to delve deeper into how Wick is seen in the world, beyond the fact that everyone is absolutely terrified of crossing him. Additionally, it’s been said to be yet another revenge movie, so that much-loved aspect of the franchise remains.
Dunlevy confirmed all of this in that same Screenrant interview:
“You’re dealing with John Wick, with Keanu. That character is an older grizzled combat veteran. He’s seen it all, done at all. So he has a more refined style. Everything he does, he’s survived it. With Ana [de Armas]’ character, in Ballerina, what you’re seeing is a younger, more rookie-ish assassin that’s coming through. She’s going to make mistakes her. She’s going to learn. Part of the amazing thing with those characters is the ability to adapt to the surroundings, and to use weapons that are everyday objects and things like that. What you’re going to see in that more is you’re going to see her learning to adapt to her surroundings, and her environments. And seeing, basically, where that training came from. Why John Wick has survived so long is because of the foundation of training they’ve got. So you’re going to see her make mistakes and adapt and survive.”
While plenty of Ballerina remains up in the air, with what we know so far, we’re sure it will be as mesmerizing as any performance of Swan Lake.