John Wick: Chapter 4 was missing a key character from the titular character’s past, which should be explained in the franchise’s upcoming spinoff. Keanu Reeves’ career was at a low ebb when he signed onto the original John Wick movie, which was produced on a modest budget. There was a real possibility the film could have gone straight to DVD too, but having secured a theatrical release, it became a word-of-mouth smash. In just about every way, the series’ enduring success is nothing short of a miralce.
Despite John Wick: Chapter 4 ending with the titular assassin’s death, his resurrection for a potential fifth outing is inevitable. In the meantime, the franchise has a spinoff titled John Wick Presents: Ballerina in its future. This 2025 action movie is fronted by Ana de Armas as Rooney, an assassin seeking revenge on the people who killed her family. Many familiar faces from prior entries will return, including Ian McShane, Lance Reddick (Ballerina will be the late, great actor’s final screen appearance) and none other than Reeves as Wick himself.
Rooney made her debut in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, where she was played by dancer Unity Phelan in a wordless performance. Rooney is part of the Ruska Roma syndicate, led by Anjelica Huston as The Director. In Chapter 3, it is revealed Wick was once a member of this syndicate, and she reluctantly helps him escape New York after is declared “excommunicado” by The High Table. In her final scene in the third outing, The Director is stabbed through the hands by a High Table Adjudicator as punishment for aiding Wick.
Nothing is heard of The Director after this, and Huston didn’t appear in John Wick: Chapter 4. However, Anjelica Huston’s Director is confirmed to return in Ballerina, and the spinoff is sure to dive into her backstory and relationship with Rooney a little more. In Chapter 3, she made Rooney dance to the point of exhaustion, so they probably won’t be total best friends. Even so, Huston was great in her limited screentime, so hopefully, Ballerina will give her more to do.
Set between the events of John Wick: Chapters 3 and 4, Ballerina has the chance to fill in some gaps. Reeves’ Wick himself will only be making a guest appearance, with Rooney being the main focus. If she is looking for revenge, like Wick himself, there is a chance her enemies could target the Ruska Roma too. If so, the reason Huston’s Director didn’t appear in Chapter 4 could be that the character was killed between entries.
While a good theory, there is nothing to suggest The Director isn’t alive and well in the fourth film either. On a story level, there was no real reason to bring Huston’s character back in John Wick 4. Just as Winston (McShane) is the undisputed master of the Continental Hotel, The Director could still be overseeing her dancers/assassins inside the Tarkovsky Theater. Story details about the John Wick spinoff are under wraps, so what role The Director plays in Ballerina is open to speculation. Given the high bodycount for the series, though, she shouldn’t be considered safe just yet.