DC Comics' HELLBLAZER

DC Comics' HELLBLAZER

After returning to Liverpool, John Constantine is thrust back into the world of the occult when his longtime friend and mentor is murdered and sent to Hell by a former pupil.

Editorial Opinion
By DetectiveCinema - Jun 11, 2017 06:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Constantine
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. 
 

F O L L O W S
Swamp Thing

Well, that's my two cents.



 

 


Writer Frank Cappello Reveals Scrapped Plans For SWAMP THING Movie After 2005's CONSTANTINE Bombed
Related:

Writer Frank Cappello Reveals Scrapped Plans For SWAMP THING Movie After 2005's CONSTANTINE Bombed

Director Francis Lawrence Says He And Keanu Reeves Have Control Of CONSTANTINE
Recommended For You:

Director Francis Lawrence Says He And Keanu Reeves Have Control Of CONSTANTINE

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 6/11/2017, 7:04 AM
Sidenote: My apologies about how brief the plot synopsis for this is, I've been sitting on it for a while now and just struggled to flesh it out as much as I would've liked.
JaredRWebb12
JaredRWebb12 - 6/11/2017, 7:27 AM
It's all good. On another sidenote, I'm gonna have to adjust my Sgt.Rock pick in our joint projects. Like the plot and the casting choices. It doesn't appear that Zatanna and Constantine are gonna be pipe pals are they?(Do like Boutella as Zee though). Overall, good solid movie that I would watch. Also like the director pick(Boyle is my pick for the big boy JLA movie)
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 6/11/2017, 2:57 PM
@JaredRWebb12 - Nope, not in this universe they're not, John takes on more of a mentorship/father figure role to Zatanna.

I'll try and get my JLD pitch up asap so I can look into the projects you mentioned earlier.
JaredRWebb12
JaredRWebb12 - 6/11/2017, 8:13 PM
@MrMurdock - Awesome. Might need an assist world building from JLD however. I need Kent Nelson. Dr.Fate is going to be a major player in this first arc/phase and I have no movie for him to be in. Sorry to brother ya with a paltry world building request
kong
kong - 6/11/2017, 9:17 AM
This would be an awesome movie.
Enrique62
Enrique62 - 6/11/2017, 9:41 AM
Love the cast. Boutella, specially. I'd be surprised if she doesn't Land the role in real life.

Some time ago I mulled over a JLA Dark cast and had Dan Stevens as a younger Constantine with Ben Wheatley directing. Alicia Vikander was my Zatanna but I like Sofia better.

You're right, Affleck could bring tons of depth to the character. Sneaky good pick there.

The only one I'm not 100% on is Leguizamo. I was looking at someone like Javier Bardem for it but it never panned out.
TheRealTomServo
TheRealTomServo - 6/11/2017, 10:06 AM
I have Boyle on for my two JLD pitches. Same with McGregor as Constantine.
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 6/11/2017, 12:35 PM
Nice fancast enjoyed each pick.

Just would like someone else for COnstantine, maybe Dan Stephens as he can bring the humour but also darkness to the role.

Also would make Affleck older than him for the mentor role, whereas he is 5 years younger than McGregor.
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 6/11/2017, 2:52 PM
@SimplyAz - Dan Stephens would be my pick for a younger Constantine, but when I decided on Danny Boyle as the director it was hard to see past McGregor in the role. Plus the story I'm going for requires a slightly older John.

While traditionally Necro served as mentor to John, I decided to switch it up a bit and put Zatara in that role. John and Necro knowing each other while studying under their Zatara.
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 6/12/2017, 7:54 AM
@MrMurdock -

Cool dude
FlixMentallo21
FlixMentallo21 - 6/12/2017, 9:37 PM
@MrMurdock - Sort of like Stephen Strange and Karl Mordo when they were students of the Ancient One over on the Marvel side of the fence.
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 6/12/2017, 10:10 PM
@FlixMentallo21 - Precisely like that, very valid comparison.
FlixMentallo21
FlixMentallo21 - 6/12/2017, 10:18 PM
@MrMurdock - Thanks!
MovieMonster
MovieMonster - 6/13/2017, 9:26 AM
Nice pitch as always, Murdock. My pick for John Constantine is oddly enough Ryan Gosling. He would need a effective dialect coach to master the Cockney accent. In my mind, I can see him pull off the role.
Enrique62
Enrique62 - 6/13/2017, 9:10 PM
@MovieMonster - call me crazy but I think Gosling in Nice Guys mode could be a fantastic Boston Brand.
MikeZ
MikeZ - 6/14/2017, 9:14 AM
- While I'm sure Ewan McGregor would do well in the role of Constantine, I've been inclined to seeing Colin O'Donoghue take up the role.
- I think someone a little younger should play Zatanna. How about Shay Mitchell? She has that exotic look to her, is a trained dancer, and is such an underrated performer that she needs a role like this.



- I'm told someone British should play Madame Xanadu, considering the character's origins. How do you feel about Elizabeth Hurley?
- John Leguizamo sounds too sneaky and sleazy to play someone like Zatara. Sadly, I wouldn't know who to play the character myself. I would say Demian Bachir, but that'll depend on how everyone else would feel.
DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 6/14/2017, 8:20 PM
@MikeZ - O'Donoghue I haven't seen in anything, but his demeanor reminds me of Matt Ryan, which isn't a bad thing as Ryan has done a great job as Constantine on the small screen.

- Shay Mitchell I haven't seen in anything so I can't comment, but she looks the part.

- Hurley's work I'm not familar with.

- I can understand what you mean with Leguizamo, he plays that type of character too perfectly. But he's actually quite versatile, while he's not someone that probably comes to mind Zatara.
MikeZ
MikeZ - 6/15/2017, 2:37 PM
- O'Donghue plays Captain Hook in Once Upon a Time.
- Oh, well I'd watch Pretty Little Liars then.
- Elizabeth Hurley you're not familiar with? Well, let me help you out.

View Recorder