James Gunn has confirmed that he has spoken with Keanu Reeves about a possible sequel to Constantine, the 2005 film based on DC’s Hellblazer comics. In a recent interview, the DC Studios co-chief said the project has come up several times but remains in early discussion.
“I’ve discussed it on and off. I’ve discussed it with Keanu,” Gunn said on the BobaTalks podcast. “But I have not read any script yet.”
Reeves has been open about his desire to return to the role of John Constantine. Earlier this year, he told Inverse that he and director Francis Lawrence had developed a new story idea and brought it to DC Studios. “We’ve been trying to make this film for over a decade,” Reeves said. “We just recently put a story together and pitched it to DC Studios and they said, ‘OK.’ So, we’re going to try and write a script.”
Director Francis Lawrence, who also helmed the original movie, suggested in a separate interview with Collider that a sequel could be closer to real development than before. He said the creative team has been revisiting comic material and refining ideas over the past two decades. “We have gone through a bunch of the comics over the years and looked at things,” Lawrence said. “We’ve had the character in the back of our minds for 20 years, just kind of percolating on stories and characters we love.”
Constantine was written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello from a story by Brodbin. Reeves played a chain-smoking exorcist who can see the hidden world of angels and demons. The film earned a cult following and helped build interest in darker comic adaptations during the mid-2000s.
Lawrence has also said that the long wait for a sequel was made harder by legal and industry issues. In a 2023 interview with Gamespot, he said the studio faced obstacles regaining rights from previous holders. “We had to jump through a bunch of hurdles to get control of the character again, because other people had control of the Vertigo stuff. We have control,” Lawrence said.
While a confirmed sequel remains uncertain, both Gunn and Reeves appear open to continuing the story if the script moves forward.
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Karina Smitt
I'm not as much of a "CoMiCs NeEd MoAr DiVeRsItY & iNcLuSiOn" advocate as my girlfriend often is, but we both love funny books, crispy bacon, straight bourbon and hip hop. Add yet, we never vote the same, so we cancel each other out... and that works perfectly in my book!
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