Fans of The Walking Dead will be thrilled to learn that series star Norman Reedus is jumping into a new franchise, after the show’s finale. Reedus will be joining the John Wick universe, Lionsate has announced that he has joined the cast of Ballerina, a spinoff of the Keanu Reeves-led film series. “We’re huge fans of Norman, and we’re confident that the fans will be just as excited as we are that he’s joining the Wick universe,” said one of the film’s producers, Erica Lee. “He’ll make an incredible addition to Ballerina.”
Ballerina as Rooney, “a ballerina and assassin who seeks revenge, by hunting the murderers of her family.” Previously, the character was portrayed by actress Unity Phelan in 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Additional cast members include Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick, all reprising their roles from past John Wick films. At this time, it does not appear that Lionsgate has offered any details about Reedus’ role.
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Catalina Sandino Moreno (Falling Skies, The Affair) has also been cast, and Reeves is said to be making a cameo as his titular un-retired assassin. The new spinoff is being directed by Len Wiseman — from a script by Shay Hatten and Emerald Fennell — and is currently in production. Alongside Lee, Basil Iwanyk and Chad Stahelski also serve as producers. This is not Hatten’s first time with the franchise, as he co-wrote John Wick Chapter 3, as well as the upcoming fourth and fifth films of the series.
The first John Wick came out in 2012 and made over $88 million on a budget of less than $30 million. The second film in the franchise — John Wick: Chapter 2 — opened in 2017 and made over $170 million on a $40 million budget. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum premiered in 2019 and raked in a worldwide revenue total of more than $325 million on a budget of less than $75 million. Collectively, the three John Wick films alone have made the franchise over a half-billion dollars. This sum is on a combined budget of somewhere under $145 million. To say that the franchise has been lucrative is quite an understatement.
However, it’s not just financial success that keeps the franchise going as each film has also been increasingly heralded by film critics. As far as Rotten Tomatoes scores go, all three films are Certified Fresh, with John Wick at 87%, John Wick: Chapter 2 at 89%, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum at 90%. Ballerina does not yet have an announced premiere date but is expected sometime in 2023.
