Ana de Armas Is "The Baby Yaga" in New 'Ballerina' Sneak Peek Unveiled at CCXP

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Ballerina

This year at CCXP in Brazil, Lionsgate decided to hype John Wick fans up for Ballerina in several ways. First, they unveiled a brand-new poster for the upcoming spin-off movie. Then, during the movie's panel this Sunday, the studio unveiled a 3-minute sneak peek and behind-the-scenes featurette that dives a little deeper into the story and what we can expect from it. Ballerina is set to premiere in theaters on June 6, 2025.

In the sneak peek featurette, we hear from producer and John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski celebrating the fact that Ballerina allowed the team to explore the John Wick world in ways that they couldn't before – through the eyes of Eva (Ana de Armas). Ballerina director Len Wiseman (Underworld franchise) also made it clear that the new character isn't "a female John Wick," but rather a newcomer that will help us see and understand the entry point of the John Wick universe of top-tier assassins.

The featurette also chronicles de Armas' intense training routine so that she could become "the baby yaga." de Armas' herself jokes that she's surprised she came out of the experience in one piece. The actor goes on to reveal that she felt excited, nervous and worried, but embraced the challenge. Last but not least, the featurette underscores that Ballerina will keep the bar high when it comes to action sequences and gun-fu, and De Armas performs her share of it on a nightclub scene.

Where Does 'Ballerina' Fit Into The 'John Wick' Franchise?

Ballerina is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4. This is why the title character of the flagship franchise is still alive in Ballerina. We still don't know how he will return in John Wick 5, though, so maybe Ballerina could give us a little hint of what the Baba Yaga had in mind before he met his demise. The good thing is, we'll see him at least a little in the spin-off.

Aside from de Armas, the cast of Ballerina also features Ian McShane (American Gods), Anjelica Huston (The Addams Family), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon), Catalina Sandino Moreno (From), Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary), David Castañeda (The Umbrella Academy), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Dune: Part One), Anne Parillaud (Nikita) and the late Lance Reddick (Bosch).