The following contains spoilers for From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.

John Wick director and co-creator Chad Stahelski, who served as a producer on Ballerina, reveals that he was initially against Keanu Reeves' return in the new movie. The new installment in the John Wick franchise centers around Ana de Armas' new assassin, Eve Macarro, who was raised by the Director of the Ruska Roma after her father's death. Reeves reprised his role as John Wick, aka the Baba Yaga, sent to put an end to Eve's pursuit of revenge.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski opened up about Reeves' role in Ballerina and why he was against it at first. The franchise's co-creator revealed that Wick "wasn't in the original script," but with John Wick: Chapter 4 leveling up the game, he saw the benefit in having Reeves return, which could make Lee Wiseman's Ballerina spinoff much more appealing. Read his comment below:

That wasn’t in the original script. To be honest, I was kind of against it. But I do see the benefit and we wanted to help out [director Len Wiseman]. We had just opened John Wick 4 and it was huge. He couldn’t go back to the model of the first John Wick and do a little $18 million indie thing and try to build it up. In order to stay in the same game, you got to give him a fighting chance. And the easiest way to transfer that over — at least, from the studio point of view — was have Wick in Ballerina in a special timeline.

What This Means For Ballerina

Ballerina Originally Only Revolved Around Eve

The original plan for Ballerina didn't involve John Wick, which means the film initially didn't have any tie-in or story expansion to John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. However, Stahelski's change of heart did have a significant impact on the movie's plot. Eve first met John Wick before her first contract, where viewers get to see the plot point of Wick seeking safe age from the Director through Eve's eyes. In a separate interview, Wiseman also revealed that the final movie had more tie-ins with Chapter 3. Wick and Zero were in a motorcycle chase in the background of the scene when Eve arrived at the Continental.

In the same interview, Stahelski also added that whether the John Wick franchise could still stand without Reeves' titular assassin has been actively discussed between the actor and the co-creator. He stressed that "it's always tricky," but he also believed that "the world can be ed" as long as they have an organic story that wants to be told. While it sounds like Reeves' return in Ballerina was more due to real-world commercial concerns, the co-creator clarified that John Wick will not be in the planned Donnie Yen's Caine spinoff.

Our Take On John Wick's Return In Ballerina

John Wick's Appearance Made Ballerina An Expansion Of The Franchise

John Wick's return made Ballerina a lot more interesting plot-wise. It expanded the world between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 in creative ways and deepened the conversation the film has about consequences and exits. Even though Reeves didn't have a lot of lines, they were able to tie the movie into the franchise thematically. De Armas' Eve can hold the movie on her own, but having Wick is definitely a strength.

Ballerina did have significant reshoots, with rumors that Stahelski was heavily involved.

The Baba Yaga did have a huge role to play in Bellerina's ending, but whether his appearance altered Eve's fate is another question. Without John Wick's assistance, Eve's journey to hunt down the Chancellor might be harder, which could make the ending feel earned. On the other hand, Eve made out Ballerina alive, but not without a mark on her head. In a way, John Wick's appearance might not have affected the story as much as audiences might think.

Source: THR