Ana de Armas in the John Wick Universe: The Eve Macarro File
Ana de Armas became the first lead of a John Wick spin-off film as Eve Macarro in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, released June 2025. A Ruska Roma-trained assassin hunting the cult that killed her father, Eve is the franchise's first new protagonist — built in the same dojo, fighting by different rules.
This file covers who Eve is, how de Armas trained for the role, how Ballerina actually performed, and what we know about where the character goes next. The film itself has a full breakdown on the Ballerina page.
Eve Macarro: the Ruska Roma's other graduate
Eve's origin deliberately mirrors John's. Orphaned young — her father killed by a cult led by Gabriel Byrne's Chancellor — she's taken in by the Ruska Roma and trained under Anjelica Huston's Director, the same pipeline that produced Jardani Jovonovich. The ballet-school-as-assassin-academy glimpsed in Chapter 3 becomes the film's whole world.
The smart writing choice is that Eve isn't a female John Wick. She's smaller than everyone she fights, so the film builds her style around improvisation and cruelty of invention — ice skates, grenades, a flamethrower duel — where John's style is machine-like economy. The Director's line positions it cleanly: she can't win fights like a man twice her size, so she has to “fight like a girl” — make the fight unfair. The same logic the franchise applies to its weapons, applied to a body.
The training
De Armas spent months in pre-production training with the franchise's stunt team — the 87eleven-school approach Keanu Reeves made famous: judo and jiu-jitsu-based throws, weapons handling and tactical reload work, long single-take choreography rehearsed until the actor, not a double, carries the frame. Reeves has publicly vouched for how hard she trained, and it shows in the film's willingness to hold shots on her face mid-fight.
How Ballerina was received
The honest scorecard is split. Theatrically, Ballerina underperformed — a $24 million domestic opening and roughly $140 million worldwide against a budget that reshoots pushed to a reported $90 million, short of break-even. Critically and with audiences, it landed: Certified Fresh at 75%, a 92% verified audience score, with de Armas's physical commitment and the flamethrower finale drawing most of the praise.
Then streaming rewrote the story. Through late 2025 the film became a chart-topping performer on Starz and HBO Max — the kind of long-tail audience that has revived franchise plans before. Box office called it a misfire; the watch data called it a sleeper hit. Both are true.
Where Eve Macarro goes next
As of June 2026 there is no announced Ballerina 2. The franchise's confirmed slate runs through Donnie Yen's Caine, the animated Impossible Task prequel and Chapter 5 — but the world-building logic of the series leaves Eve unfinished business, and the streaming numbers give Lionsgate a commercial argument to revisit her. Until an announcement exists, treat any sequel date as rumor. Eve's place in the timeline — between Chapters 3 and 4 — is mapped on the watch-order page.
Frequently Asked Questions
▸Is Ana de Armas in John Wick?
She stars in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) as Eve Macarro, a Ruska Roma-trained assassin. She has not appeared in the four mainline John Wick films, but Ballerina is set within the same continuity, between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4.
▸Who is Eve Macarro?
Eve Macarro is Ballerina's protagonist: orphaned as a child when a cult led by the Chancellor killed her father, then raised and trained by the Ruska Roma — the same organization that produced John Wick. The film follows her revenge mission, against the Director's orders.
▸Will there be a Ballerina 2?
Not confirmed as of June 2026. Director Len Wiseman has said he would love to continue and that he cast Norman Reedus because he "has plans for him," but Lionsgate's announced slate currently prioritizes the Caine spin-off, the animated prequel and Chapter 5.
▸Is Keanu Reeves in Ballerina with Ana de Armas?
Yes. Keanu Reeves appears as John Wick in a supporting role, and the late Lance Reddick makes a final appearance as Charon. Ian McShane returns as Winston, with Anjelica Huston as the Director and Gabriel Byrne as the villainous Chancellor.
▸How did Ballerina perform at the box office?
It grossed roughly $140 million worldwide against a reported $90 million budget — a theatrical underperformance — but reviews were positive (75% on Rotten Tomatoes, 92% audience score) and it became a major streaming hit later in 2025.