Ballerina Brings In The Walking Dead's Biggest Star For A Key Subplot

After more than a decade of adventures with the world's most skilled assassin, the "John Wick" franchise is finally moving beyond Mr. Wick and Keanu Reeves. Lionsgate has released "Ballerina," aka "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina," the first spin-off in the larger John Wick Cinematic Universe. (The JWCU is not an official name by Lionsgate, but that's clearly what they're looking to do here.) While Reeves does appear in the film as John Wick, the movie is mostly centered on a new protagonist, Eve Macarro, played by Ana de Armas.

As anyone who has ever seen any of the "John Wick" movies can surely tell you, these movies are practically overflowing with interesting supporting characters, and director Len Wiseman very much keeps that tradition alive with "Ballerina." One such character that Eve comes across on her journey of revenge is Daniel Pine, played by none other than Daryl Dixon Himself, "The Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus.

The film itself centers on Eve, a ballerina-turned-assassin member of the Ruska Roma who we first met briefly in "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum," who is seeking revenge for her father's death, which happened at the hands of a mysterious cult of killers years earlier. Despite The Director (Anjelica Huston) advising her not to pursue any action, Eve sets out to find her father's killers after carrying out a contract and finding a familiar mark on the wrist of one of the men she killed.

That's where Reedus and his character Daniel come into play. Advised by Winston (Ian McShane), Eve travels to The Continental in Prague to see about a man who was part of this cult. Daniel is trying to escape the cult alongside his young daughter Ella (Ava Joyce McCarthy), and this is when we get to see Reedus kick ass.

Norman Reedus doesn't get too much screen time in Ballerina

Eve confronts Daniel at his hotel room in The Continental but, as fans of the previous "John Wick" movies may recall, no business can be conducted on Continental grounds. Eve is content to play by the rules, as she just wants information. However, another member of this cult is hanging around, trying to tempt the assassins in the hotel to break the rules. When a massive contract is put out on Daniel, he and Eve end up shooting up the place in a reluctant truce of sorts.

The action that follows is pretty fantastic, with Reeds' Daniel blasting people to pieces with a shotgun. Ultimately, he is shot and seemingly killed, with Eve having a lot of sympathy for Ella, recognizing a bit of herself in the little girl as her father was also taken from her at a young age. To succinctly spoil the remaining arc of the movie, Eve manages to find this cult in the secluded mountains and, with some help from Mr. Wick, kills The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) and gets her vengeance. She also manages to save Ella, reuniting her with Daniel, who survived his gunshot wound.

Ultimately, Reedus is a bit player in the movie, appearing in a couple of key scenes to help move the plot along. He could be viewed as a plot device, used to help get Eve to her goal. Reedus is a big enough star that one might have imagined he would have had a bigger role. Who knows? Maybe the extensive reshoots "Ballerina" went through removed more of his character. Either way, Reedus doesn't get a ton of screen time.

Is that a good or a bad thing? That's a matter of personal opinion. My personal feeling is that Reedus is a great fit in this universe and the bit of ass kicking we get to see him do is a great deal of fun. Leave 'em wanting more.

Could Norman Reedus return as Daniel Pine in the John Wick universe?

Speaking of wanting more, there is something to be said for the very deliberate choice to leave Daniel alive. It would have been easy enough to kill him to give the emotional connection between Ella and Eve even more resonance. But Reedus is a well-liked actor with plenty to keep himself busy. One imagines he would have signed onto this movie understanding that it could be more than just a one-picture deal.

Without getting too off topic here, the ending of "Ballerina" absolutely sets the stage for something akin to "Ballerina 2." If this movie performs well at the box office, we probably haven't seen the last of Eve. As we've seen in the "John Wick" movies, characters like Winston and Charon (the late Lance Reddick, giving his final performance in this franchise) come back repeatedly. They're fixtures in the universe. Could Daniel become a fixture in Eve's universe?

What we know for sure is that Lionsgate has several more "John Wick" spin-off movies in the works. There's "John Wick 5," a spin-off centered on Donnie Yen's Caine, and an animated prequel showing off the impossible task that Mr. Wick pulled off to gain his freedom before the events of the first film. Daniel is now a character in this universe with a past (and future) that may be worth exploring, and his participation wouldn't be limited to "Ballerina 2." Because he's still alive, it's possible, if not likely, that we haven't seen the last of Reedus in this universe.

"Ballerina" is in theaters now.