Where Does ‘Ballerina’ Takes Place in John Wick Timeline?

John Wick came to our screens back in 2014, and since then, it has defined a genre of movies with multiple other projects falling in line to emulate the effect this franchise has had on the masses. However, it’s hard to live up to what Keanu Reeves has given us with his mind-blowing representation of Baba Yaga. Now, since it looks like John Wick has taken a backfoot, a new gun-fu master from the same universe is set to hit our screens in June with ‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’. Now, the big question is, where does Ballerina fit in the John Wick timeline? Let’s find out.

When Does Ballerina Happen in the John Wick Timeline?

If you have been wondering where Ballerina fits in the John Wick timeline, you have no further to look than the official trailer of the movie. The trailer for Ballerina confirms that the movie is happening during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. However, the confirmation does not come in the form of any hints in the trailer, but with the synopsis that is attached to it. The synopsis of Ballerina’s trailer reads-

“Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Ballerina follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.”

Even though the synopsis explicitly mentions that Ballerina takes place during the events of John Wick Chapter 3, there were some hints embedded in the trailer itself. There are certain scenes in Ballerina trailer that show us scenes from John Wick-Chapter 3, but from a different perspective, one of which is when John Wick visits The Director.

So, if you have been wondering whether John Wick is returning after the fate he met in Chapter 4, you are in for a bit of disappointment. However, not all hopes of seeing Keanu shoot people in the face at point-blank range are lost since a John Wick: Chapter 5 has been confirmed by Lionsgate.

Does Ballerina Mess With The Original Timeline of John Wick?

Now, the big question at hand is that if Ballerina is making its place in the John Wick timeline, does it alter it or send the franchise in a different direction? The answer to that is no, Ballerina does not alter the John Wick timeline in any way or form. Initially, Ballerina was set to be placed between the events of John Wick 3 and 4, but later, the movie was placed in parallel with John Wick Chapter 3.

So, we will get to see Ana De Armas going berserk on some poor soul while John Wick would be doing the same thing to someone else off-camera. This also explains why Wick looks somewhat injured in the trailer of Ballernia.

Another cool thing about Ballerina is that it not only happens parallel to Chapter 3 but also takes us way before the first John Wick movie was released. In the trailer itself, we get to see Eve’s (Ana De Armas) origin as a child interacting for the first time with Wilson before she was taken in by The Director and trained to be a ruthless killer. This also points towards the fact that if they have already let us in on the origin of this character, there is a good chance of her reappearing in further John Wick movies, potentially, John Wick 5.

What Does Keanu Reeves Feel About Ballerina?

In an interview with Total Film, Keanu Reeves opened up about his cameo in Ballerina, stating that it’s a “cool story”.

“Len Wiseman has a vision, but is also embracing, affectionately, the world of John Wick. Ian McShane is in it as Winston. So I felt that there was a cool handoff of stewardship, and it was fun to put the suit on again, however briefly. There’s a reason for John to be in Ballerina; it’s very organic.”

He further appreciated Ana De Armas, saying that she did well with action sequences, and it was really fun working with her. Reeves said-

And working with Ana was great. She really loves action, and she’s really good at it.”

Now, if Keanu has talked about Ana De Armas, there is no way the roles would not be reversed. Some time back, De Armas appeared on  The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where she described working with Keanu Reeves and also talked about how hard it is to work on an action flick that is meant to be on par with a legend like John Wick. In her comment, she said-

“We’ve been in Prague filming for four months. We still have one more month to go. And I’m in pain. You know, my body, my back, everything hurts. I’m complaining, I’m sore, I’m bruised. Bond was fifteen minutes. This is a whole movie, another level. But the other day, Keanu and I were rehearsing our very difficult stunt scene, and this man is just rolling and throwing me and doing crazy stunts. And I’m like I can’t complain anymore. Because he is doing it! He truly is the best.”

So, with a seal of approval from Baba Yaga himself, it looks like Ballerina is going to take us all by surprise with the story and action it plans to offer. Ballerina now carries praises from Keanu Reeves himself, so I am even more intrigued to witness what this movie will bring us on June 6, 2025. So, let’s wait and see what happens, and do let us know in the comments what you guys feel about it.