Hot on the heels of the news that Ian McShane would return as Winston for the upcoming John Wick spin-off comes the reveal that John Wick himself will also make an appearance. First revealed by Collider, it seems that Keanu Reeves is in talks to reprise his John Wick role for Ballerina, the spin-off movie starring Ana de Armas.
It’s not clear if Keanu Reeves’ role in Ballerina will be a cameo or something more substantial, but he’ll be a welcome addition to the movie nonetheless. Production on Ballerina kicked off on Monday under the direction of Len Wiseman from a script by Shay Hatten. Ana de Armas stars as a young woman with killer skills who sets out to get revenge when her family is killed by hitmen.
As for Ian McShane, producer Basil Iwanyk has described McShane’s “pivotal” role in Ballerina. “We’re thrilled to have Ian McShane joining us for a pivotal role in ‘Ballerina,” Iwanyk said. “He’s been such an integral part of the franchise since the original John Wick. It’s been fun to have him on this journey as the Wick universe expands.“ A younger version of McShane’s character will also be featured in The Continental, a three-night special-event TV series that will explore “the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins, a centerpiece of the John Wick universe, through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) who is dragged into the Hell-scape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals.“
Keanu Reeves will also return as the legendary assassin in John Wick 4, which also stars Donnie Yen, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, and Rina Sawayama. The film will also see the return of a few franchise veterans, including Laurence Fishburne as The Bowery King, Ian McShane as Winston, manager of the Continental Hotel, and Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge of the Continental. John Wick: Chapter 4 will debut in theaters on March 24, 2023.