D C C O M I C S '
HELLBLAZER
P L O T S Y N O P S I S
After returning from Louisiana to Liverpool, John Constantine is contacted by Zatanna, his old friend and mentor’s daughter. Zatanna’s father Zatara was attacked and mortally wounded, and sent to Hell by his former pupil Nick Necro at the behest of the First of the Fallen, the ruler of Hell. The First of the Fallen targeted the Italian mage because his heroics over the years cost him countless souls that were promised to Hell. Necro sought tutelage from The First so he could further increase his knowledge of dark magic, and in exchange for his teaching’s, Necro murdered Zatara.
With Necro doing The First’s bidding, Zatanna says she must take her father’s place at The Conclave; a small group of magic-wielding humans. Concerned for her safety, John tries to talk her out of it. He convinces her not to on the condition that he helps her stop Necro, and gain vengeance for her father. With Zatara banished to Hell, Necro sets out to find and revive the ancient sorcerer Felix Faust to further gain knowledge of the mystical dark arts and become a more powerful sorcerer. While John enlists the help of his close friend Chas, a cabbie who has a history with the rogue mage, Zatanna contacts Madame Xanadu, a fortune-telling mystic who may be able to help them locate Necro.
After pinpointing Necro’s location to the London Museum, Chas transports John and Zatanna there and where they find Necro in the midst of resurrecting Faust. After a lengthy supernatural battle, the two are able to defeat Necro and send him to Hell but not before Faust re-emerges from his tomb and escapes. In exchange for Necro’s soul, the First presents Zatanna an offer difficult to refuse, a chance to say goodbye to her father as well as his banishment from Hell and admission into Heaven. However, what she doesn’t realise is that through The First's manipulations, all of the souls Zatara saved over the years are exchanged and as a result the First’s power grows exponentially from the influx of souls.
S T A R R I N G
Ewan McGregor … John Constantine
Sofia Boutella … Zatanna
Casey Affleck … Nick Necro
Guy Pearce … The First of the Fallen
Ken Watanabe … Felix Faust
Monica Bellucci … Madame Xanadu
Shea Whigham … Chas Chandler
John Leguizamo … Zatara
W R I T T E N & D I R E C T E D B Y
Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle
- There are a lot of properties I think Danny Boyle could tackle, but none are more appealing than a Hellblazer film starring his Trainspotting and T2 lead in the title role. He’s shown over the years his ability to direct a diverse range of films, my personal favourite being 28 Days Later.
C A S T I N G N O T E S
Ewan McGregor // John Constantine
- McGregor is such a versatile actor, just look at his dual role in the latest season of Fargo! However it’s his role as Renton in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting and it’s sequel T2 Trainspotting that makes me so convinced that he’d perfect as a somewhat seasoned and wary John Constantine.
Sofia Boutella // Zatara
- It sounds like if there’s one positive thing to take from Universal’s The Mummy, it’s Sofia Boutella take on the titular monster. While she’s still a relatively young and upcoming actress, the few roles she’s had have been very, very impressive showing she can play a range of different types of characters. Her breakout performance being in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Casey Affleck // Nick Necro
- While Casey’s been getting a lot of acclaim for his recent (Oscar winning) role in Manchester by the Sea, it’s his portrayal of Robert Ford in Andrew Domink’s spectacular The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford that has stayed with me over the years. In it he demonstrated how well he could portray a deeply layered antagonist, holding his own against Pitt’s Jesse James.
Guy Pearce // The First of the Fallen
- If you were to combine the elements he brought to Lawless with his more recent turn as The Reverend in Brimstone I think it’s easy to imagine Guy Pearce knocking this role out of the park.
Ken Watanabe // Felix Faust
- Watanabe always brings a certain gravitas to the movie's he stars in. It’s his role in several of Christopher Nolan’s films that really stand out to me. He was particularly great in his brief role in Batman Begins, and that’s what make me think he’d be great as Faust. Plus his makeup in Inception makes it really easy to visualise Watanabe as the ancient sorcerer.
Monia Bellucci // Madame Xanadu
- Admittedly I’ve only seen Bellucci Spectre, and while the film itself was quite average compared to it’s predecessors, I found Bellucci to be a standout in her all too brief role as Lucia.
Shea Whigham // Chas Chandler
- Whigham constantly pops up in bit parts in really great movies like American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street. Recently he’s been getting more prominent parts, in TV shows specifically. I would recommend checking him out in Boardwalk Empire, Vice Principals and Fargo. Comic book fans may recognize him from Agent Carter.
John Leguizamo // Zatara
- Leguizamo is a chameleon of an actor who I feel doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. I think he fits the part of Zatara quit well and can see him and McGregor having great chemistry.