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Ballerina marked the first real expansion of the John Wick universe. The movie, which is set between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, follows Eve Macarro (played by Ana de Armas), as she hunts down those behind her father’s death. Her path leads her deep into the Ruska Roma, the same ruthless group that once shaped John Wick into the killer the underworld fears. The film doesn’t hold back on violence with sharp and stylish action that matches the elegance of its title.
Eve Macarro Replaces an Entirely Different Lead
However, here’s what most people don’t know. According to Collider, Ballerina didn’t begin its life as a John Wick story. Shay Hatten wrote the original script in 2017 and it was something entirely different. The main character was called Rooney Brown, not Eve who was meant to tear through a secret assassin society in Switzerland. One of the most outrageous scenes had her storming a retirement home full of deadly seniors, with one even swinging a pair of nunchucks.
How Ballerina Was Reshaped Into a Wick Spin-Off
Director Len Wiseman later joined Hatten in reshaping the script to match the John Wick world and what started as a satire of over-the-top action movies soon evolved into something grounded in the same gritty universe Wick fans know. The kill counter idea, which would’ve shown over 1,400 deaths, was dropped and so were the more absurd touches, like the assassin grandpas. Instead, the focus turned toward exploring the tribal structure of the Ruska Roma, giving depth to a group that had only been glimpsed before.
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By putting John Wick himself into the story, it really connected Ballerina to the franchise and the final act really brought everything back into the storyline and what made this spin-off not veer off into its own path. However, some fans may have wanted to see the original version that would have involved Rooney Brown bloodied up in a Swiss retirement home and it does sound like a blast!
Shay Hatten’s Rise in Hollywood Action Cinema
Ballerina ended up opening more doors than it closed for Hatten. He got his start as an intern at Team Downey before making waves with Maximum King, a screenplay about Stephen King’s infamous turn behind the camera. That script landed on the Black List, and soon after, he sold Ballerina to Thunder Road. From there, he was pulled into the heart of the Wick franchise, writing for both Parabellum and Chapter 4.
Hatten’s name is currently associated with high-octane titles on multiple platforms. The writer has collaborated with Zack Snyder on Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon, and penned Day Shift with Jamie Foxx. It is unknown whether he will return to the Wick universe, but it is clear that he has found a way to carve out a place in the action genre.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
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