John Wick Spinoff Ballerina Recruits Oscar Nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno

The cast of Ballerina continues to expand. Now in production in Prague, Ballerina is a spinoff of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick movie series. Set in the same world, the spinoff introduces Ana de Armas as another deadly assassin who utilizes her skills to carry out vengeance against those who killed her family. Per Lionsgate, it has now been announced that Oscar nominee Catherine Sandino Moreno has just closed a deal to star opposite de Armas in the film, though details on her role haven’t yet been revealed.

“One of the challenges of casting Ballerina is making sure that the new roles are played by actors with as much power, emotional presence, and physical skill as Ana has,” producer Erica Lee says in a statement addressing the casting. “After working with Catalina on John Woo’s Silent Nightit was clear that she belonged at the top of our list, and it’s a thrill to be reuniting with her.”

As noted by Lee, Moreno will appear in Silent Nightthe first U.S. action movie from John Woo in more than a decade. Along with Moreno, the film features Joel Kinnaman and Kid Cudi. Moreno also recently starred in the indie movie Barbarians alongside Iwan Rheon and Tom Cullen as well as the first season of the hit Epix series From. Her other recent work includes a series regular role in Showtime’s The Affair and a starring role on the Duplass Brothers’ HBO series Room 104. This all follows Moreno previously earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role in 2004’s Maria Full of Grace.

Related: Anjelica Huston to Reprise John Wick 3 Role in Ballerina

Ana de Armas and Catalina Sandino Moreno are making their debuts in the John Wick franchise with their roles in Ballerina. It has also been reported that Keanu Reeves will appear as the titular character of the franchise. Other confirmed characters that will appear in the movie are Ian McShane as Winston Scott, Lance Reddick as Charon, and Anjelica Huston as The Director.

Ballerina doesn’t yet have a premiere date. While fans await the release, they can first anticipate watching the fourth John Wick movie. That film has been a long time coming due to multiple delays related to the pandemic. The film is set to finally hit theaters on March 24, 2023.

Meanwhile, the franchise will also be expanded on the big screen. A separate series, The Continentalis in the works at Peacock. It serves as a prequel, set decades before the events of John Wick and follows Colin Woodell as a younger version of Winston, Ian McShane’s character. Mel Gibson also stars. The series hasn’t yet been given a premiere date.

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