Ana de Armas will star in Ballerina, the John Wick spinoff film. De Armas explains her wishes for the film, and how they have now been fulfilled.

Ana de Armas provides an update about the John Wick spinoff movie Ballerina. The Cuban-born actress has turned into a major star over the past several years. She had a role in Blade Runner 2049 in 2017 and went on to play the lead role of Maria Cabrera in Knives Out in 2019. Since then, de Armas has starred in action movies such as No Time to Die and The Gray Man. The actress will also portray Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominik’s NC-17 rated Blonde.

De Armas will continue her star status in her lead role in Ballerina. Ballerina is an action film that exists in the John Wick universe. It will likely feature Keanu Reeves as well, and release after John Wick Chapter 4’s 2023 release. Ballerina is directed by prominent action movie talent Len Wiseman, who has worked as a writer, producer, and/or director on films such as Underworld and Total Recall. John Wick: Chapter 3 writer Shay Hatten is also suspected to return to the universe with Ballerina. The story will follow de Armas as a female assassin who seeks revenge against the people who killed her family.

Related: Ana De Armas' Ballerina Spinoff Can Beat John Wick 4 & 5

De Armas now announces that her and the Ballerina team have hired a female writer for the film. According to Elle, de Armas felt it vital to hire a female writer on the project ever since she joined the production. After interviewing “like, five or six female writers,” the Ballerina team hired female actress, director, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Emerald Fennell. Check out the full statement from de Armas below:

"It was really important for me to hire a female writer, because to that point when I got involved in the project, it was only the director, Len Wiseman, and another guy. And I was like, ‘That’s not going to work.’ So I interviewed, like, five or six female writers. We hired Emerald Fennell, which I was so proud of.”

Not only is it significant that the Ballerina team hired a female writer for this female assassin-centered entry into the John Wick universe, but the choice of Fennell could be a great move for the film. Fennell received great acclaim for her 2020 film Promising Young Woman, for which she received Best Picture and Best Director nominations at the Oscars, and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Fennell has also served as a writer on the popular TV show Killing Eve and acted in prominent films and TV such as The Crown. Fennell has proven herself to be a multi-talented force within the film and TV industry, making her an exciting choice to take on such a big action-thriller project with Ballerina.

With the hiring of Fennell, Ballerina could take on new and enticing tonal directions. Fennell has shown her ability to blend the sinister, comic, and heartbreaking with Promising Young Woman. With her and de Armas both on Ballerina along with Wiseman, the John Wick spinoff has the potential to be a fantastic new female-led action film. Time will tell as the script for Ballerina is finished and the movie begins shooting.

More: Every Upcoming Ana De Armas Movie

Hannah Gearan is a news writer for Screen Rant. She joined the platform in Spring 2022, whilst completing her final year as an undergrad at Wesleyan University, where she studied Film, Environmental Studies, and Writing. A lifelong film fan, Hannah has a wide-ranging taste including dark comedies and documentaries, and she loves a good miniseries. Based out of the Northeastern United States, Hannah spends her free time writing, listening to folk music, visiting covered bridges, and trying to find the best ice cream in New England.