Why Is Keanu Reeves' John Wick In Ballerina - Isn't He Dead?

While the death of John Wick seemed clear since "John Wick: Chapter 4" features a shot of his tombstone, no character is truly ever gone in Hollywood. After all, the 2023 blockbuster was far and away the biggest film in the franchise, with a monster take of $433 million at the worldwide box office against a $100 million budget — making it a movie series its studio might not want to put to bed just yet.

Until director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves figure out where to take the Baba Yaga from here, a different project is buying the dynamic duo time: the spin-off movie, "Ballerina." Reeves previously unveiled the "Ballerina" timeline, confirming it takes place between "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum" and "John Wick 4," explaining how John is alive in the film. Co-star Ian McShane elaborated on why the filmmakers went in this direction.

"This one is set in between 'John Wick 3' and 'John Wick 4,' because Keanu is in it, too," the actor told Collider. "You didn't want to set it after 'John Wick 4,' because then you'd have social media saying, 'Oh, so he's still alive! What's he going to do next time? Is there a John Wick 5?!' This way, you can still keep up the pretense that there might not be a 'John Wick 5.'"

"Ballerina" stars Ana de Armas as Rooney, a ballerina trained under the auspices of The Director (Angelica Huston), who was introduced in "John Wick 3: Parabellum." Rooney embarks on a path of revenge when her family is murdered. Ian McShane reprises his pivotal role as Continental Hotel Owner and Manager Winston Scott, and the late Lance Reddick will be back as Charon, the Continental's concierge and Winston's right-hand man.

While the extent of John Wick's involvement in the storyline is yet to be revealed, McShane implied in his Collider interview that the action would be centered around Rooney, Winston, and Charon. "This time, we're protecting Ana de Armas ... Lance and I bring our usual protection towards Ms. de Armas. And [director Len Wiseman] I found a delight to work for ... We worked out the script beforehand, so there was no wasted time."

With any luck, "Ballerina" will satiate fans until Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves decide on John Wick's fate. There appears to be hope the hyperkinetic hitman will be back since "John Wick 5" is in development.

Meanwhile, "Ballerina" is set for a June 7, 2024, release.