In 2022, we learned that John Wick star Keanu Reeves had agreed to reprise the role of John Constantine in a sequel to the 2005 movie. Constantine helmer Francis Lawrence signed up to return to the director's chair, while Akiva Goldsman was tapped to work on the screenplay with him.
Much to the chagrin of many fans, the movie Americanized DC Comics' Hellblazer, but its following has only increased since it was first released. As for Reeves, he's more popular now than ever before, and it's become clear that this is a passion project for the actor.
Yesterday evening, the news broke that Evil Dead Wrath director Francis Galluppi has been tapped to write a new John Constantine movie for DC Studios. There's no word on whether he'll direct the project, but the story will presumably be set in the DCU, similar to the R-rated body horror film Clayface.
Where does this leave Constantine 2? Warner Bros. confirmed the movie was moving forward in 2023, but Reeves has since gone back and forth on the project's status, despite confirming he'd met with DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.
Last year, Gunn shared a mostly positive update when he said, "I’ve discussed it on and off. I discussed it with Keanu. So, yeah, I mean, that’s a great group of guys." The filmmaker went on to say, "I like all those people a lot, I think they’re talented, but I have not read any script yet, so..." before trailing off.
Reeves had previously said, "You know, another draft of the script came in. We’re waiting. We’re gonna take it to the studio. Hopefully, they like it, too." By now, DC Studios must have seen it...and decided that the sequel wasn't the best direction for John Constantine.
Despite Reeves' popularity, a sequel to a film that came out over two decades ago with 47% on Rotten Tomatoes doesn't seem a wise move for a studio that's yet to deliver a bona fide box office hit. In fairness, though, Constantine did gross $230.9 million on a reported $70 million budget.
A John Constantine movie has potential, especially if it's a lower-budgeted horror movie. Still, it's a risk on DC Studios' part, especially as the character has already had mixed fortunes both in theaters and on television.
In the comics, John Constantine is a chain-smoking, cynical British occult detective and magician who first appeared in DC Comics' Swamp Thing #37 in 1985. Created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and Rick Veitch, he specialises in investigating supernatural threats and has fought alongside the Justice League Dark. Matt Ryan also portrayed him in live-action in NBC's Constantine and Legends of Tomorrow.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.