Seventeen years after the original Constantine hit cinemas, it’s been confirmed that Keanu Reeves will get his long-held wish to reprise the role of John Constantine (aka Hellblazer) in Constantine 2. He’ll be joined by returning director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) for the character’s second theatrical outing, which will almost certainly pit him against the various forces of heaven and hell, battling physically and mentally with both, and probably flipping them the bird while he’s at it.
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While we’re very much looking forward to Reeves’ return, the character of Constantine hasn’t been entirely absent from our screens since Reeves’ 2005 iteration. In 2014, NBC launched a really quite good 13-episode TV series (you can watch it for free on Archive.org) that delivered a rendition of the character that was far more faithful to the original DC comic book source material. That’s right, John Constantine is meant to be blonde and British, so Reeves’ interpretation of the character is quite a departure. Perhaps the upcoming sequel can compromise by introducing the character’s signature tan jacket – the less said about Reeves’ attempts to pull off a British accent the better.
It’s unclear at this stage if the sequel will make any attempt to tie John Constantine into the wider DC film universe – the character recently shared the comic page with Batman – although the idea of Keanu Reeves fighting alongside Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman and Ben Affleck’s now-returning Dark Knight is just silly enough for us to want to see it.
Above all else, the thing currently topping our Constantine 2 wishlist is the return of Peter Stormare as a white-suited, oily footed Satan. His was such an immaculate piece of casting that we can’t imagine the makers of the sequel would dare miss the opportunity to bring him back.
Constantine 2’s release date is yet to be confirmed, but we’re excited to see more as it ramps up production. We just hope that this endeavour produces better results than the last time Reeves’ returned to a role after an almost two-decade break – we’re looking at you The Matrix: Resurrections.