Last year, we learned that John Wick star Keanu Reeves will reprise the role of John Constantine in a sequel to the 2005 movie. Francis Lawrence agreed to step back into the director's chair, while Akiva Goldsman was tapped to work on the screenplay with him.
Constantine may have Americanized DC Comics' Hellblazer, but the movie's following has only increased since it was first released. As for Reeves, he's more popular now than ever before and this is clearly a passion project for the actor.
Recent reports that DC Studios has shelved the project were quickly debunked, and Goldsman has shared some new details about the sequel during an interview with Deadline. Revealing that J.J. Abrams (who was once set to oversee a whole slate of Justice League Dark projects for Warner Bros.) is also involved, the writer confirmed he's "been pretty deep in the story-breaking stage.”
"This is a credit to Keanu, who endlessly has said, ‘This is the character I want to return to," he tells the trade, adding that Constantine 2 will expand on the original's themes about maintaining the barrier between Earth and the evil creatures on the other side.
"The character is very much Keanu and the way he and Francis saw the world of good and evil, and the wonderful and authentic noir where there is a world behind the world of good and evil coexist with our world right up close," Goldsman adds. "Beyond that, we are still discovering it as I am writing the script."
It sounds like the movie is a long way from becoming a reality, but these comments definitely bode well for the project. It's possible Reeves will be the DCU's Constantine, especially as Warner Bros. Discovery has scrapped Abrams' HBO Max series starring Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù. If so, we can expect to see him in Swamp-Thing and other upcoming DC Studios projects.
2005's Constantine wasn't a critical hit, but it did earn a solid $280 million at the worldwide box office. There was sequel potential, but one never became a reality until now (we hope).
Constantine 2 doesn't currently have a release date.