Building a World of Vengeance: How Ballerina Expands the John Wick Universe

Step behind the velvet curtain of Ballerina, the latest adrenaline-laced chapter in the John Wick universe, and you’ll find a world where elegance meets execution, and stagecraft collides with spectacle. Set during the explosive events of John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum, Ballerina introduces audiences to Eve Macarro, a vengeance-fueled assassin with the grace of a prima ballerina and the deadly precision of a trained killer. But while the bullets fly and the choreography dazzles, it’s the behind-the-scenes artistry—especially in production design—that carves out Ballerina’s unique identity within the franchise.

Directed by action visionary Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard), the film thrusts viewers into an icy new frontier for the franchise: the snow-covered landscapes of Eastern Europe. Production Designer Phil Ivey, known for his immersive world-building, took on the formidable challenge of crafting a story space that both honors the visual legacy of John Wick and boldly carves out new terrain. His vision? A fresh aesthetic infused with tradition, layered, elegant, and deadly.

“The important thing was, yes, it has to fit within the John Wick world,” Ivey explains, “but it needs to have its own vibe. People have been watching these films for a while. They’re coming to this to watch something else.”

To that end, Ivey ditched the sleek cityscapes of New York and the Mediterranean glow of Rome and Morocco for something more visceral. Snow, stone, timber, and chill defined the palette. The tonality shifted—colder, sharper, yet no less stylish. Set pieces were grounded in the rawness of Eastern Europe, with principal photography based in Prague and surrounding Czech locales, plus select sequences filmed in Budapest and Hallstatt, Austria.

Hallstatt, a postcard-perfect mountain village perched on the edge of a glacial lake, became a linchpin in the film’s icy world. Director Wiseman was captivated by its fairytale aesthetic. “It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before,” he says. “A town built into a hillside, so it has these amazing layers.” But Hallstatt’s popularity as a tourist destination limited filming time, prompting the team to build a geographical jigsaw puzzle. By combining different Czech locations and dressing them to match Hallstatt’s distinctive alpine charm, they created the illusion of an extended stay in the village of assassins.

“The sets become a subplot,” Ivey shares, “and tell you immediately what that character’s about.” That philosophy guided the film’s production design across its locales. The Ruska Roma compound, led by the returning Director (Anjelica Huston), was expanded upon with dormitories and training chambers that give deeper insight into the assassin-ballerina pipeline. The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), a new antagonist, inhabits a sinister hunting-lodge-inspired lair that oozes menace. Every interior whispers (or shouts) something about the people who inhabit it.

Costume designer Tina Kalivas added her own layer to the film’s visual narrative, aiming for looks that were “tailored, slick, sharp, expensive and crazy, but glamorous.” Kalivas took inspiration from the Wick canon while forging new stylistic ground. Eve’s costume design cleverly nods to her past life as a ballerina: her assassin’s wardrobe features sleek bodysuits beneath tailored outerwear, a literal layering of identity.

The citizens of Hallstatt—an entire town of assassins—were given their own unique sartorial treatment. Rather than default to a rustic winter aesthetic, Kalivas went high-style. “Instead of being this kind of traditional ski look,” she notes, “the people of Hallstatt were more tailored and dressed up. Their looks also hinted at their isolation, and that they perhaps were out of touch with current trends.”

Of course, no John Wick universe entry would be complete without the man in black himself. Kalivas had the rare opportunity to design her own version of the iconic John Wick suit, ensuring the finest wool, precision tailoring, and even a hidden monogram embroidered inside the pocket: John Wick. “It was thrilling,” she admits.

From stone-laced safehouses to candlelit death chambers, from the cold precision of assassin uniforms to the haunting elegance of a ballet school, Ballerina expands the John Wick aesthetic while keeping its razor-sharp edge. With Wiseman’s kinetic direction and Ivey’s immersive environments, the film doesn’t just spin—it strikes.