- Ballerina's director has explained why the John Wick movie was delayed by 12 months
- Len Wiseman admits it was down to additional photography
- However, the Lionsgate-produced film didn't require reshoots in the traditional sense
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina's release was pushed back one year because Lionsgate wanted to re-add scenes that were originally cut from the script.
Speaking to TechRadar, Ballerina director Len Wiseman confirmed that additional photography was the primary reason behind the film's delayed launch. The John Wick flick was due to land in theaters in June 2024, but its release was held back to improve its narrative and action-based flow.
Given the negative connotations surrounding the word 'reshoots' within the entertainment industry, Ballerina's delay might give off the impression that it was unwatchable in its original form. After all, the addition of new scenes, ones filmed after principal photography has wrapped, suggests that a film isn't up to scratch.
Just look at Captain America: Brave New World, aka one of three Marvel movies landing in cinemas throughout 2025. It reportedly underwent numerous reshoots following fan screening feedback. However, as I outlined in my Captain America 4 review, reshoots and/or additional photography don't always make for a better movie.
Wiseman, though, said Ballerina didn't undergo the traditional process of reshoots. In fact, the 2023 Hollywood strikes aside, Wiseman revealed one of this year's new movies was delayed out of 2024 because Lionsgate actually wanted to reincorporate pages that were originally left on the cutting room floor.
"Once we were putting the film together, the studio [Lionsgate] wanted to add more scenes that we'd cut from the script," Wiseman told me when I asked about the action thriller's launch setback.
"I've been a part of movies where that hasn't happened, so whenever you hear about additional shooting, it's spoken about negatively. But, this was a thrill for me because a lot of stuff we originally wanted to do, we didn't have the time or scheduling [to include them].
"So, the studio really supported us in returning to those sequences, building them out, and then adding them back in. That was really awesome for me and everyone associated with this film."
Ballerina: From the World of John Wick makes its worldwide debut in cinemas on June 6.
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