Ballerinas have really danced their way into the action film spotlight this year. Just three months after the release of From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina, Amazon is reportedly nearing a deal to buy Ballerina Overdrive, a film with a very, very similar (but mercifully shorter) title. The two films share another key similarity: Ballerina Overdrive was produced by David Leitch, who helped launch the John Wick franchise in 2014 and executive produced its three subsequent films, as well as spin-off TV series The Continental. While Leitch isn’t credited as a producer on Ballerina, that film is very much a part of the John Wick universe, as its full title hammers over the heads of anyone who may have missed the connection.
Ballerina Overdrive is not, at least according to Deadline‘s writeup of the potential Amazon deal, which the trade says could close somewhere in the $11 million to $12 million range. The project has been floating around for at least three years, so it seems like this may be a case of parallel thinking rather than any direct inspiration. (Last year’s Abigail also offered some ballerina-based action, so dance may just be on the brain.) Ballerina Overdrive was directed by The Witcher: Blood Origin‘s Vicky Jewson and follows “a troupe of ballerinas who find themselves fighting for survival as they attempt to escape from a remote inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition,” per Deadline‘s description.
The project also features a predominantly female cast made up of Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Iris Apatow, Maddie Ziegler, Avantika, Michael Culkin, and Uma Thurman. It may not be part of the John Wick franchise, but the project apparently has “franchise ambitions” of its own, per the trade. Maybe these new characters will lace up their pointe shoes for a crossover face-off with the Ruska Roma somewhere down the line.