Lionsgate Planning JOHN WICK Cinematic Universe With BALLERINA Script

Lionsgate has picked a female-lead action script titled Ballerina that will serve as the first film for a possible John Wick spin-off.

While Lionsgate is excited about the idea of a franchise expansion, the real excitement lies with Ballerina screenwriter, 23-year old Shay Hatten. THR reports the deal is the first for Hatten who calls Shane Black one of his favorite writers of all-time. He is currently working as a writer's assistant for Robert Downey Jr.'s production company. His Ballerina script ended up on last year's Black List.

Ballerina has a similar vibe of La Femme Nikita, the 1990s female-lead assassin movie that helped launch the career of filmmaker Luc Besson. Little is known about the story other than it centers on a young woman raised as an assassin who must hunt down the other assassins that murdered her family.

The script hit the studios last week, Warner Bros. and Universal entered a bidding war for it, according to THR. But Lionsgate saw in it potential to further grow its Wick franchise.