Ballerina Star Ana de Armas Was 'Totally Game' To Take On The John Wick Mantle From Keanu Reeves, Actress Told Director 'Let Me Carry The Weight'

The John Wick franchise is moving forward with Ana de Armas starrer Ballerina, set to release on June 13. Keanu Reeves has shot, sliced and bashed his way through four movies and now, his Knock Knock (2015) co-star de Armas will add to the body count in one of the slickest and totally action-driven franchises in world cinema. The spinoff movie has received largely positive reviews and is likely to open at $35-40 million in the first weekend.

Also read: Ballerina Early Reviews: 'Brutal And Explosive' Ana de Armas Starrer Doesn't Need 'John Wick' Keanu Reeves To Carry It, Is A Force Of Its Own

While de Armas has done action in The Gray Man and No Time Die, the John Wick universe introduces her to a new world of action filmmaking. Director Len Wiseman shared that she was "totally game" to take on the pressure of headlining the next chapter in the Wickverse.

“There’s a lot of pressure. It’s a lot to carry all on her shoulders. But she’ll be the first person to tell you: ‘Put it on. Let me carry the weight. I’m totally game,’” Wiseman told AP News.

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de Armas shared that she has asthma and doing a full-on action movie was something she would never have thought was possible for her. “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t run. I sometimes couldn’t play with my friends. I had to just be home and be still so I wouldn’t get an asthma attack. So I never thought of myself as someone athletic or able to run just a block. So this has been a surprise,” she shared with the news agency.

Ballerina follows the story of Eve Macarro (Armas), a highly skilled assassin on a relentless quest for vengeance against those who destroyed her family. It is set between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). The John Wick franchise is headlined by Hollywood star Keanu Reeves.