Ian McShane Explains Connection Between ‘The Ballerina’ and ‘John Wick’

Ballerina will take the John Wick franchise in a new direction, but not without the help of some familiar faces. Ana de Armas stars as the titular Ballerina, Eve Macarro of the Ruska Roma family, who were first introduced in John Wick: Chapter 3. The first official trailer for the film highlighted the excessive training the actress had undertaken for the role. The preview also teased the surprise return of Keanu Reeves as John Wick; Ballerina is set between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Joining them is franchise vet, Ian McShane as Winston, the owner of the New York Continental.

Speaking to Collider at CCXP, McShane explained the connection between Winston and Macarro’s character. While Reeves and the late Lance Reddick both appear in the film, Winston is the real connective tissue between the John Wick movies and the new spin-off. “Well, I’ve met her before. Also, I knew her mother and father, as we say,” McShane revealed during the interview. Little is known about de Armas’ Eve Macarro, aside from her exceptional skills as an assassin. Thankfully, Ian McShane is here to fill us all in with the details. He continued:

“I know secrets about her that she will try to find out later on. Obviously, I kept tabs on her over the years since she’s been under the ballet tutelage of the character of Anjelica Huston.”

While Winston knows a lot about Eve Macarro, she — and everyone else — knows very little about him. McShane believes the character of Winston is one of the big mysteries in the already mysterious John Wick franchise. “But Winston, you still don’t know who he is, which is kind of nice,” McShane explained. “He’s the more enigmatic character.”

Ian McShane Reveals ‘Ballerina’s Ending… Kind Of

As previously mentioned, McShane revealed a lot about Ballerina during his appearance at CCXP. In addition to teasing about how Winston fits into Ballerina’s semi-connected story, the beloved actor also gave away the ending of the film… sort of. “At the end of the movie — I’m not giving anything away — you still don’t know more about the relationship,” he said. McShane delved deeper into how the relationship between Winston and Eve grows over the course of the film. He continued:

“All I can say is that he admires her. I mean, a ballerina and an assassin? That’s a lethal combination. He tries to warn her, but of course, she ignores him completely. But it’ll be interesting. She is the Baby Yaga; John Wick is the Baba Yaga.“

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Ballerina: From the World of John Wick releases in theaters on June 7, 2025. The film sees Chad Stahelski take a step back from the director’s chair and move into an executive producing role. Len Wiseman (Underworld) has directed the new film, based on a script by long-time franchise collaborators Shay Hatten and Derek Kolstad. The film also stars Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster.

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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is an upcoming American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten. Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma. 

Release Date

June 6, 2025

Runtime

89 minutes

Cast

Ana De Armas
, Keanu Reeves
, Catalina Sandino Moreno
, Anjelica Huston
, Norman Reedus
, Ian McShane
, Lance Reddick
, Gabriel Byrne
, David Castaneda
, Anne Parillaud
, Sharon Duncan-Brewster

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