One of the most jaw-dropping (smashing?) moments in Ballerina is a flamethrower duel on a snow-covered street that feels straight out of a fever dream. But as director Len Wiseman reveals, the infernal set-piece wasn’t even in the original script.

Ballerina, now in cinemas, is a continuation of the John Wick saga by following Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a dancer-turned-assassin searching for her father’s murderers. Eve is an alumna of the Ruska Roma, the same shadowy group who took Wick under their wings and turned him into the feared Baba Yaga, the killer of killers. Her path to vengeance leads to a hamlet in the Austrian Alps. There, she confronts the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), the leader of a cult of assassins who holds the key to her past.

“We started by brainstorming underused weapons,” Wiseman, 52, tells 8days.sg over Zoom during the Munich leg of the Ballerina press tour. “The idea of ‘fire and ice’ intrigued us. We imagined flamethrowers in snowy environments — maybe used by assassins to melt snow. Then we thought, what if Ana’s character uses one? Then what if her enemy does, too? Suddenly, it’s a flamethrower battle.”

Wiseman, of course, is no stranger to crafting high-octane action. He cut his professional teeth in the art department for Independence Day and Godzilla before making his directorial debut with 2003’s Underworld, the spandex-heavy vampire-vs-werewolf rumble headlined by Kate Beckinsale.  

What’s the difference between the person who made that movie 22 years ago and the person behind Ballerina?

“A bit more groaning when I get out of bed!” says Wiseman, with a laugh. “But seriously, while the tones differ, both films feature strong female action leads. I still approach them with a specific tone. Over time, as you gain experience — you learn what works, what doesn’t, and you grow creatively while staying connected to your roots.”

It was on the sets of his subsequent movies 2007’s Live Free and Die Hard and 2012’s Total Recall that Wiseman first met John Wick franchise architects Chad Stahleski and David Leitch, back when they were stunt performers-for-hire.

“I thought it was awesome — clever and stylish,” says Wiseman, recalling his reaction to the first John Wick. “I was familiar with their second unit work [as 87Eleven stunt team], but what impressed me most was the creativity in the choreography. It really reinvented the action genre.”

While aware of the influences of The Matrix and Asian action cinema on Stahelski and Leitch (the duo worked with Yuen Woo-ping on the landmark sci-fi trilogy), Wiseman's primary influences are James Cameron, Ridley Scott, and Luc Besson. Cameron, in particular, instilled in him the importance of visual clarity in action scenes. “I prefer seeing the geography of a fight over shaky-cam,” he says.

On Ballerina, Wiseman credits the 87Eleven Action Design partnership for sharpening his mayhem-making instincts. One suggestion that bore fruit involved turning ice skates into makeshift maces — something he first experimented with in his garage using fake blood. “It’s a very collaborative process,” he says. “I bring in an idea, and the team takes it further than I imagined.”

Eve of destruction: Ana de Armas takes her ice-skating lessons seriously.

When asked about working with Keanu Reeves, who reprises his role as John Wick, Wiseman explains the minimalist approach was fully intentional. “John Wick is a man of few words,” he says. “Nothing was cut — his script was minimal from the start. Keanu contributed some clever touches. He’s so immersed in the character.”

Wiseman also touched on the significance of the newly introduced Oscars category for Best Stunt Design, to be handed out in 2027. (Ballerina or, for that matter, Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning would definitely be top contenders if they are released next year.)  “It’s long overdue,” he says, hopeful that the recognition will expand to include subcategories for choreographers, coordinators, and performers — much like post-production awards for sound or editing.

Hopefully, the first John Wick movie to vie for Oscar glory would be Caine, the spin-off about the eponymous blind assassin in John Wick: Chapter 4, played by Donnie Yen. The latter is also on board as the director; production is due to begin later this year.

But that’s another story for another time.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (M18) is now in cinemas. 

Photos: Larry D. Horricks, Murray Close/Lionsgate