Lionsgate has closed a deal for Ian McShane to reprise his role as Winston, the manager of The Continental Hotel, to star opposite Ana de Armas in “Ballerina,” the new film set in the “John Wick” universe, the studio announced on Tuesday.
The film’s production is now underway.
“Ballerina” follows a female assassin. Shay Hatten, who wrote “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” also wrote the script that was acquired by Lionsgate in 2017, and Len Wiseman (“Total Recall”) is directing the feature.
Fans of the “John Wick” franchise know that the Ballerina character made a brief appearance in the third film of the franchise, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” from 2019.
Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Chad Stahelski are producing “Ballerina,” and Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.
“We’re thrilled to have Ian McShane joining us for a pivotal role in Ballerina, producer Basil Iwanyk said in a statement. “He’s been such an integral part of the franchise since the original John Wick. It’s been fun to have him on this journey as the Wick universe expands.”
McShane will also reprise his role as Winston in “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which will be released in theaters on March 23, 2023.
McShane was most recently seen as Mr. Wednesday in the hit Starz television series “American Gods.” He also served as executive producer on the series, which is the TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2001 novel. He also recently voiced a role in Netflix’s animated film “My Father’s Dragon.”
McShane previously won a Golden Globe Award for his performance as Al Swearengen in the HBO western series “Deadwood” before reprising the iconic role in the subsequent film, “Deadwood: The Movie.”
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.