The following contains spoilers for From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, now playing in theatersthe cast for Ballerina.

Although John does play an important (if minor) role in Ballerina's ending, it's noticeable that John really doesn't need to be there. That's because in at least one version of the script, John Wick seemingly wasn't there. John's inclusion in the third act of Ballerina seems to have been a major source of Ballerina's much-discussed reshoots, which added some more action to the film. While it's always fun to see John and the action speaks to Ballerina's strengths, these reshoots (and the way they bluntly intersect with the plot result in one of the film's weaker elements).

Ballerina's Reshoots Were Used To Increase The Film's Action

Ballerina's Third Act Got A Lot More Action Thanks To Some Late Reshoots

Ballerina went through some pretty big reshoots, adding more of the film's impressive action while introducing some plot holes into the narrative. The John Wick spin-off was directed by Len Wiseman and features some pretty big set-pieces, including a 1-on-1 duel between Eve and John Wick. However, reports ahead of release suggested that the film had gone through extensive reshoots after production was completed. While this isn't uncommon, the large interest surrounding Ballerina following the success of John Wick: Chapter 4 intensified that focus on the film.

As reported by Screen Rant, John Wick franchise director and creative overseer Chad Stahelski spoke about the need for reshoots. Stahelski noted that Wiseman "got Ana and they got the vibe right... [Wiseman] had really no money and time compared to what I had on John Wick: Chapter 4." However, when the production faced challenges like weather issues, Stahelski and his team came in to assist with the production and lend their help on the reshoots for a few weeks, helping the film get "some of the bigger shots that it deserved."

Ballerina's Reshoots Definitely Increased John Wick's Role In The Ending

John Was Originally Only Meant To Have A Smaller Appearance In Ballerina

One of the most obvious additions to the film is the increased presence of John Wick. Although John and Eve briefly encounter one another earlier in the film (in a way that cements Ballerina's placement in the John Wick timeline), the pair now have a fight spurred on by the Director ordering John to kill Eve and prevent a war with the Cult. However, John sympathizes with Eve and not only spares her life, but also helps her fight the Cult from afar as a sniper. As Stahelski explained to THR, John and Eve's duel "wasn’t in the original script."

While Strahelski was initially reluctant to bring John Wick back for the scene, the filmmaker ultimately decided that it was the best way to get extra eyes on Ballerina and help add some momentum to Wiseman's film. Lionsgate agreed, leading to John Wick's increased importance in Ballerina's third act. The reshoot nature of the sequence is fairly obvious, as it doesn't impact much of the overall plotline of the film but adds some new fight scenes, including a well-constructed duel between Eve and John (that is very contained and relatively easier compared to the film's bigger sequences).

John provides sniper cover for Eve as she tracks down the Chancellor, taking up a spot on a nearby building. This is also a clever way to hide the reshoots in the middle of the already completed action, as Reeves was able to be filmed largely alone (except for a handful of henchmen he dispatches) in a way that still fit into the overall narrative. Although John helps Eve, he's not crucial to her survival, save for one moment during her flamethrower duel with Dex. As quickly as John arrives, he easily departs the plot afterwards.

Ballerina's Action Does Benefit Greatly From The Reshot Scenes

Ballerina's New Action Scenes Are Pretty Fun

The thing about the reshoots in Ballerina is that they definitely improved the film. Many of the movie's biggest defenders (and even some of the harsher critics) agree that the film's creative approach to action is one of the highlights of the film. There's a real creativity to the fight scenes, especially once Eve reaches the Cult's town of Hallstatt. The reshoots were focused on infusing some more action into the film, which is always a welcome addition to a movie like Ballerina.

The addition of John Wick — particularly the way the villains all panic when they realize who he is — is a great moment of levity amid the spectacle of the fight-heavy third act. It also helps tie the two films together closely and underscores how John and Eve work as foils, John's sympathy for Eve's plight and eventual decision to assist her, feeling perfectly in-character. The reshoots may be obvious in Ballerina, but Stahelski and his team helped Wiseman nail the John Wick tone and style to stick the landing.

Ballerina's Reshoots Likely Caused The Film's Major John Wick Plot Hole

It Doesn't Make Much Sense How John Shows Up For Ballerina's Third Act

The problem with the reshot scenes featuring John Wick is that it break the narrative. At this point in the timeline, John Wick has been excommunicated by the Ruska Roma during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. That scene is even revisited in Ballerina, revealing Eve encountered John as he was leaving. For Ballerina's climax to work, however, John has to be allied with the Ruska Roma and willing to follow the orders of the Director to kill Eve. In the established continuity, John won't realign with the Ruska Roma until the events of John Wick: Chapter 4.

[Ballerina] crunches [Eve's] entire story within a short timeframe to fit into the earlier John Wick timeline.

Even then, John makes peace with his surrogate sister Katia in the German branch of the Ruska Roma instead of returning to the Director. The only way this could fit into the established timeline is if it happened after the High Table made peace with John but before he turned on them by sparing Winston at the Continental. However, that would mean that the apparent time-skip that comes between missions for Eve after her first on-screen assignment was only a matter of days, crunching her entire story within a short timeframe to fit into the earlier John Wick timeline.

The reshoots may have made Ballerina more entertaining overall, but it also introduced some problems for audiences that just don't gel with the arc of the John Wick timeline. It complicates Ballerina's placement in the timeline, also complicating her decision to stay at the Continental, given that it is promptly destroyed in John Wick: Chapter 4. It's something that future films in the John Wick series will have to address, hopefully in a potential sequel to Ballerina.

Source: THR