Keanu Reeves Is Not Confident About Anticipated Sequel Actually Happening
Keanu Reeves continues to be unsure of the future of Constantine 2.
Confidence in a Keanu Reeves-led Constantine 2 is at a new low after Reeves spoke with CinemaBlend during press interviews for John Wick: Chapter 4 with fellow cast members Lawrence Fishburn, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick, with Reeves saying “Hopefully I get to do it, but, I don’t know. Hopefully we can play.” Little has been said about the proposed sequel since its initial announcement last September. The first Constantine movie, starring Reeves, and based on DC Comics’ Hellblazer comic books, was released 18 years ago.
The Hellblazer comic, created by Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissett, is about a con man and occult detective who goes about his work with an air of greasy moral ambiguity while occasionally working for the greater good. The comic series has been in continuous publication since 1988. The motion picture greatly simplified the character and setting, opting for a more traditional good versus evil storyline that nonetheless managed to be entertaining, which you would think would spell good things for Keanu Reeves in Constantine 2. Fans of the comic book took issue with the liberties taken by the production with the character, one of which was changing the character’s hair color (Constantine is blond in the comics) amongst other things.
Released on February 18, 2005, it grossed over $230 million against a budget of $70 – 100 million worldwide and garnered mixed critical reviews. It has, in the years since its release, become something of a cult film – with stand-out performances highlighting the talents of Peter Stormare, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, and Shia LaBeouf.
It is perhaps because of this, and the efforts of Reeves and the first films’ director Francis Lawrence, that a sequel was reported by Deadline to be in development by Warner Bros. in September of 2022. Though, with the recent changing of the guard at DC Studios (formerly DC Films), and Keanu Reeves having no roadmap regarding Constantine 2, the future of a sequel is uncertain.
At DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran’s appointment to studio leadership in a shake-up, barely two months after the initial announcement of a Constantine sequel, may be the cause of Keanu Reeves’ uncertainty. Gunn and Safran instituted a company-wide restructuring as part of their new strategy, canceling many projects planned by the old regime, and announcing new ones following their new vision for the future. No further mention of Keanu Reeves and Constantine 2 has been made by the company, either in the affirmative or the negative, in their plans for their upcoming slate of projects.
Currently, Reeves is enjoying strong box office numbers for the latest installment of the John Wick series – John Wick: Chapter 4, with a far more profitable opening than the previous installment. Time will tell if Keanu Reeves gets to wear the ruffled trench coat again for Constantine 2. Hopefully, John has kept off of the cigarettes.
