Ballerina film: Keanu Reeves confirmed to star in John Wick spinoff, when is film set, how can he return?

Keanu Reeves will star in upcoming John Wick spinoff film Ballerina alongside Ana de Armas, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick. 

The news comes despite the fact that (spoiler alert) both Reeves’ and Reddick’s characters - John Wick and Charon - were killed in the John Wick: Chapter 4. Wick died in a duel with the Marquis on the steps of the Sacré Coeur in Paris, shooting the Marquis dead in his final moments.  

Fans of the franchise will do doubt raise eyebrows at the news that the characters will make a comeback, but it seems that the new film won’t change the ending of Chapter 4.

Ballerina stars de Armas as an assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family. It is the second spinoff in the John Wick franchise, following prequel miniseries The Continental, which followed Winston’s rise to become manager of the New York hotel for assassins.

How will Keanu Reeves return in Ballerina?

It has been reported that Ballerina will take place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, and Chapter 4, meaning that both Wick and Charon will still be alive in the timeline.

Parabellum ended with Wick being apparently betrayed by Winston who shoots him several times on the roof of the Continental, but we later see that Winston faked Wick’s death. Wick then visits the Bowery King in his underground hideout and plans to revenge himself on the high table.

At the start of Chapter 4, Wick assassinated The Elder who rules over the High Table, precipitating events which lead to the death of Charon, the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, and eventually Wick himself.

When is Ballerina set?

As discussed above Ballerina takes place between the third and fourth John Wick movies, but how much time does this cover?

Chapter 4 begins six months after Parabellum, giving Wick plenty of time to Ana de Armas’s vengeful young assassin Eve. However, throughout the course of Chapter 4, the events of Ballerina are not mentioned once.

Ballerina is currently set for release in the UK on June 7 2025.