By Though he previously and publicly dismissed “The Continental” series on Peacock, veteran British acting icon Ian McShane has no such qualms about the other “John Wick” spin-off project – the upcoming film “Ballerina”.
Unlike “The Continental” which was done without the involvement of the franchise’s core team, “Ballerina” has all the key players involved as it tells a story set between films which allows for Keanu Reeves’s character to return.
Speaking with Collider recently, McShane discussed his role and the film’s setting, confirming where it takes place in the timeline:
“This one is set in between John Wick 3 and John Wick 4, because Keanu is in it, too. 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.”
It’s expected we will see a “John Wick Chapter 5” at some point, though franchise director Chad Stahelski is occupied with the “Highlander” reboot in the near future. Len Wiseman takes over as director of “Ballerina”.
McShane went further into the film’s story and those involved in the film, including the late Lance Reddick who plays Continental hotel concierge Charon, indicating the shoot all went rather swimmingly:
“This time we’re protecting Ana de Armas, and I had my great friend, Mr. Lance Reddick. God bless you, Lance — he passed away last year. Lance and I bring our usual protection towards Ms. de Armas. And [director] Len [Wiseman] I found a delight to work for. Again, we worked out the script beforehand, so there was no wasted time.
Len had conferred with Chad [Stahelski], so I think there’s a continuity from the other Wick movies. So it should be very enjoyable. [Ana] was lovely to work with. I think Gabriel Byrne plays the chief villain, so there’s a good actor for you.”
De Armas plays an assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma who uses her killer skills to get revenge when hitmen kill her family. Anjelica Huston, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus also co-star in the film which hits cinemas June 7th.
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