Keanu Reeves Is Officially Returning To His Best Role
A Constantine 2 sequel is on the way with Keanu Reeves returning.
This article is more than 2 years old
Here at GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT, you can consider us fans of the criminally underrated Keanu Reeves-starring Constantine. In fact, we wrote a whole article on why that film deserved so much better than it got, in a time when superhero films were still a fledgling genre. Well, we got our wish, as Deadline reported that Reeves will officially be returning in Constantine 2.
This is honestly shocking news, as Warner Bros has been axing DC films and TV shows left and right. In fact, one of their recent cancellations was the fan-favorite DC series Legends of Tomorrow which prominently features Matt Ryan’s John Constantine. Maybe Warner Bros prefers Keanu Reeves’ take on the character, but regardless, here we are with Constantine 2 on the horizon.
Along with Keanu Reeves, Francis Lawrence will be returning to direct Constantine 2. The first Constantine was Lawrence’s first feature-length directing job after an extensive career directing music videos. Since then, Lawrence has directed films like Water for Elephants, I Am Legend, and many of the Hunger Games franchise films, including the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The announcement of Constantine 2 is fresh, so there are very few details other than the return of Keanu Reeves and Lawrence. It has been confirmed that Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man) will be penning the script. Goldsman will also be on board as a producer through his Weed Road Pictures along with Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella.
While Constantine 2 will be the first time we’ve seen Keanu Reeves in the role in over 15 years, the character has appeared quite often on the small screen over the years. The aforementioned Matt Ryan played the supernatural exorcist and demonologist in Legends of Tomorrow, a short-lived series on NBC, and various animated films and shows. Neil Gaiman’s Netflix series The Sandman also featured a gender-flipped version of Constantine played by Jenna Coleman.
Matt Ryan certainly has his fair share of fans for his take on John Constantine, so there will likely be some grumbling about him getting pushed out in favor of Keanu Reeves’ version of the character. Truth be told, Matt Ryan’s version is much more comic-book accurate, so it’s an understandable preference for fans of his comic iteration. Maybe Warner Bros can find a happy middle ground by greenlighting a new Constantine series starring Ryan if Constantine 2 finds success at the box office.
The first Constantine certainly proved itself at the box office, raking in over $230 million worldwide. With Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav wanting to focus more on big theater releases, this could have led to the decision to try and recreate that success with Constantine 2. It certainly seems like a bit of a risk for a movie that has its fair share of detractors, but you won’t see us or Keanu Reeves fans complaining.
There’s no release window for Constantine 2 yet, but the fan hype is sure to pick up as the announcement spreads through the Twitterverse. In the meantime, you can check out Keanu Reeves in his most recent DC role as the voice of Batman in DC League of Super-Pets. We’ll keep you updated as more news comes out about the Constantine sequel.
