Ballerina’s Original Script: A Shocking 1400 Body Count That Could Have Changed Everything!

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The “John Wick” franchise is known for its excessive violence and high death toll, but it could have surpassed its own epic storyline if the creators had stuck to the original script. Despite the countless “bad guys” that John Wick eliminates in his quest for revenge, details from a 2017 movie script draft suggest that the initial level of carnage would have been astonishing – even for the “John Wick” series.

In approximately the same period as “John Wick: Chapter 2,” Shay Hatten crafted a script for an intensely violent film, drawing inspiration from the Keanu Reeves movie. However, this script held no direct ties to the franchise. Remarkably, it found its way onto The Black List – a compilation of unproduced screenplays that have given rise to numerous successful films over time. Not long after, Lionsgate took notice of the script, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In contrast to the remake, a notable distinction in the original movie lies in the extent of death caused by de Armas’ character (originally named Rooney). In the original script, instead of just one violent act, her character infiltrated a cult of assassins living in a secluded community. This led to a brutal scene in an old folks home, resulting in the deaths of 200 potentially harmful octogenarians. Moreover, as she continued her destructive rampage, the death toll rose to a staggering 1400, as indicated by the script.

How ‘Ballerina’ Evolved Into a ‘John Wick’ Movie

Initially, the film “Ballerina” wasn’t intended as a sequel to the “John Wick” series. However, when Lionsgate studio, known for producing the “John Wick” films, took over, they also recruited Hatten to work on the scripts for two “John Wick” sequels. A year later, Len Wiseman was brought in to transform “Ballerina” into a spinoff movie, with Hatten being part of the team as well. As Wiseman recently shared in an interview with Film Stories’ podcast, he found Hatten’s script captivating from the beginning, and altering the original story is not uncommon in filmmaking.

In 2018, I collaborated with Shay on a project, which we were evolving into Ballerina. One aspect that truly resonated with me was the community Shay had built. There was potential to broaden this and develop it into something more akin to a unique cult, distinct from other groups depicted in John Wick movies. As you may know, scripts undergo numerous changes.

As I delved deeper into the intricacies of this remarkable production, it became apparent that the elderly care facility scene was initially part of the storyline. However, upon closer inspection and perhaps under the expert guidance of Wiseman, it appears that this element had been meticulously planned and resolved well before the film moved into pre-production phase.

The scene remained for some time, as I assumed it would create quite a surprise. And wouldn’t that be exciting? Indeed, it lingered longer than expected. However, it didn’t progress to the preparation stage. By the point when we were truly preparing, that specific scene had vanished.

It would have been astonishing if the movie Ballerina had portrayed the killing of 1408 people, but such an enormous death toll might have made the story seem implausible and veer into the realm of fantasy. Given that this number is approximately ten times greater than what one typically finds in even the bloodiest action movies, and exceeds the total number of enemies many action stars have ever defeated throughout their careers, it seems prudent to keep the casualty count at a more acceptable level instead.

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2025-06-07 17:33