Chad Stahelski Was 'Against' Keanu Reeves Popping Up in John Wick Spin-Off Ballerina, but Wanted to Give It a 'Fighting Chance'

John Wick manager Chad Stahelski has revealed helium was initially against Keanu Reeves appearing successful spin-off Ballerina, but understood wherefore it needed to happen: to springiness the movie a "fighting chance."

The John Wick movies are unsocial successful that their container bureau has grown with each release, to the constituent wherever John Wick 4 deed a immense $440 cardinal globally.

It’s with John Wick’s occurrence successful caput that Chad Stahelski discussed Keanu Reeve’s quality successful Ana de Armas’ Ballerina successful a caller interrogation with The Hollywood Reporter. He said that initially helium was dormant acceptable against John Wick appearing successful Ballerina, and revealed the cameo wasn’t adjacent successful the archetypal script, but helium understands wherefore it ended up happening.

“That wasn’t successful the archetypal script,” Stahelski said. “To beryllium honest, I was benignant of against it. But I bash spot the payment and we wanted to assistance retired [director Len Wiseman]. We had conscionable opened John Wick 4 and it was huge. He couldn’t spell backmost to the exemplary of the archetypal John Wick and bash a small $18 cardinal indie happening and effort to physique it up.

"In bid to enactment successful the aforesaid game, you got to springiness him a warring chance. And the easiest mode to transportation that implicit — astatine least, from the workplace constituent of presumption — was person Wick successful Ballerina successful a peculiar timeline.”

Ballerina launched past week and made $51 cardinal astatine the planetary container office, a fig that is considered to beryllium little than expected for its opening weekend.

Given Ballerina’s brushed opening play container office, it looks similar Wick’s quality failed to person capable fans to crook up for the spin-off. Studio Lionsgate adjacent added ‘From the World of John Wick’ to Ballerina’s rubric to marque it wide the movie was Wick adjacent.

Still, further Wick spin-offs are successful the works. But don’t expect Reeves to crook up each time. For example, Stahelski ruled retired John Wick successful Caine, the Donny Yen spinoff.

“The Donny Yen spinoff doesn’t person the John Wick character,” helium confirmed. “It’s got Donny Yen and it’s an ode to kung fu movies. If John Wick 1 was astir Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin, this is astir Chow Yun-fat, John Woo and Wong Kar-wai. So I deliberation that 1 is simply a small easier to get it crossed to audiences due to the fact that it’s successful a sub-genre of what we love.”

IGN's From the World of John Wick: Ballerina reappraisal returned an 8/10. We said: "In spite of a dilatory start, Ballerina proves she belongs successful The World of John Wick with combat choreography that’s each spot arsenic originative (and fun) arsenic thing other the bid has fixed america and a communicative and quality that basal connected their own."

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].