Who Really Put a Hit on Eve in Ballerina?

Warning! Major spoilers ahead for Ballerina. In a stunning twist, the cinematic universe of John Wick expands further with the release of Ballerina, featuring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro. At the film’s climax, Eve exacts her revenge by killing the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) but finds herself in peril as a substantial contract is placed on her head just before the credits roll. The identity of the person responsible for this chilling turn remains shrouded in mystery.

Director Len Wiseman recently shared intriguing insights about this final act during an interview with EW. He speculated that an unexpected figure from Eve’s past—her mother—could be the one behind this hit. Wiseman revealed that, in earlier drafts of the script, Eve had a more substantial interaction with her cultist mother, who was mentioned to have died before the main narrative. Wiseman hinted that if Eve’s mother were still alive, she might have placed the hit upon discovering the devastation in Hallstatt and learning about Lena’s (Catalina Sandino Moreno) tragic demise. His thoughts on this possibility are particularly compelling, illustrating the emotional depth the narrative could explore.

“At one point I had [in the script] that she meets her mother, and we never got there. We were maybe going to shoot the scene, but that’s always something that we hear, her mother’s dead, but in this world, you never know who’s really dead. There was an element of, when Eve does get the contract on her at the end, we don’t necessarily know for sure who put that contract on her. And if that path led to that, maybe her own mother [put the hit on her]. That would be brutal.”

“Her mother still will need to return to that village and see it decimated, and her daughter has been killed. So the ramifications can come in many different forms.”

Even though audiences don’t meet Eve’s mother in Ballerina, Wiseman expresses hope that his vision for this compelling storyline might one day come to fruition.

The Future of Ballerina

Prospects of a Sequel

While it’s still uncertain whether Ballerina 2 will materialize, the film’s conclusion certainly hints at more stories to unfold with Eve. In a separate chat with USA Today, Wiseman disclosed that the bounty on Eve’s head at the film’s end was indeed a concept driven by “a Keanu [Reeves] idea,” which aligns with the franchise’s longstanding theme of consequences. He noted that while “it’s ambiguous who put that contract out,” he has “fun, really dark ideas” about who it could be, reflecting his vision for Eve’s mother.

The early buzz surrounding the John Wick spinoff is promising for a continuation. Though Rachel Labonte’s review for ScreenRant gave the film a lukewarm six out of ten, it maintains a solid 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Surprisingly, the Popcornmeter score stands at an impressive 94%, indicating that audiences view it as the highest-rated John Wick movie to date. Its box office performance will ultimately determine if Eve’s journey continues, but these favorable ratings could suggest a strong hold in the weeks ahead.

The Emotional Core of a Potential Sequel

Deepening the Narrative

A hallmark of the John Wick sequels is the relentless pursuit of the titular character as bounties grow ever larger. The ending of Ballerina positions Eve for a similar fate, yet the possibility that her own mother may have called for her demise opens the door to a more emotionally rich narrative. The franchise traditionally focuses on action, but Ballerina 2 could delve into Eve’s familial dynamics and her tumultuous relationship with her mother.

If a sequel can merge high-paced action with a compelling, character-driven story, it may just outshine its predecessors in the John Wick universe. Although the prospect of reconciliation between Eve and her mother lingers, the franchise has often favored darker outcomes. While it remains to be seen if Wiseman’s vision for Ballerina will come to fruition, there is substantial potential for Eve’s storyline to evolve into something truly unforgettable.

Source: EW