Ana de Armas is set to star in the ‘John Wick’ spin-off ‘Ballerina’, but she and Keanu Reeves once starred together in something completely different.

Keanu Reeves and Ana De Armas from Knock Knock against a cropped poster of the movie as backgroundImage by Annamaria Ward

THE BIG PICTURE

 Keanu Reeves is a beloved movie star, known for his kindhearted acts and cool, nice guy persona.

 Ana de Armas, a rising star, has impressed with lead roles in major films like Knives Out and Blonde.
Knock Knock challenged both Reeves and de Armas, showcasing a different, morally complex side of Reeves’ character.

In 2015, Keanu Reeves‘ career was on a big upswing. There had been a period of time in the 2000s when his career had sputtered a bit with a series of underwhelming films.

The public’s love for Reeves hadn’t ceased at all, but his star power looked to be on the decline. Then came John Wick in 2014, a film that at first looked to be a case of another aging star in a shoot ’em up action movie, but turned out to be so much more.

It was a challenge for Reeves, but perhaps his ultimate challenge would come the following year with his next film, Knock Knock, co-starring fellow Ana de Armas — who is set to appear in the 2025 John Wick-universe film Ballerina.

Knock Knock Movie Poster

Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas Are Two of the Biggest Movie Stars Today

Keanu Reeves is the most loved movie star in the country. It’s hard to argue against such a statement. The actor is enjoying his greatest success, thanks to the popular John Wick films, but he’s frequently in the news for his kindhearted acts, which only further endears him to fans.

He’s the epitome of the cool, nice guy, with his Hollywood status not having gone to his head.

Then there’s Ana de Armas, an actress who has become one of the biggest stars in the world thanks to a string of hits from a lead role in Knives Out, a small but unforgettable appearance again with Daniel Craig in No Time to Die, and an Academy Award nomination worthy performance in Blonde.

Her upward trajectory looks to continue as the lead in Ballerina, a film set in the John Wick universe. De Armas hasn’t been in a John Wick film before, but the character she will play has. In John Wick 3: Chapter 3 – Parbellum, the Ballerina was played by Unity Phelan in a small role as a killer named Rooney. Ballerina will put Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas together, but, as mentioned above, it won’t be the first time that the two stars have worked on a film with each other.

‘Knock Knock’ Challenged Both Keanu Reeves & Ana de Armas

Ana de Armas as Bel and Lorenza Izzo as Genesis standing under the rain in Knock KnockKeanu Reeves as Evan smiling widely in Knock KnockLorenza Izzo, Keanu Reeves, and Ana de Armas reading a book in Knock KnockAna de Armas as Bel and Lorenza Izzo as Genesis holding a gun in Knock KnockKeanu Reeves as Evan holding a pan in Knock Knock

While Keanu Reeves was one of the biggest names on the planet in 2015, Ana de Armas was not. It would be two more years before she really broke out in Blade Runner 2049, but here she landed her first significant mainstream role.

Together, they would team up to work with horror director Eli Roth, who was known for Cabin Fever, the Hostel films, and The Green Inferno. Though Knock Knock would be more thriller than straight-up horror, it was still a genre Reeves and de Armas didn’t have much experience in.

Reeves had been in horror adjacent fare like Constantine and The Day the Earth Stood Still, but film fans still looked at him as the hero thanks to characters like Ted Logan from the Bill & Ted films, Neo from The Matrix, and John Wick.