Summary
- Constantine 2 has received a major update, and it's good news for fans who have been eagerly waiting for a sequel to the cult classic film starring Keanu Reeves.
- Filmmaker Francis Lawrence reveals that the project was delayed due to the writers' strike and complications with regaining control of the character. However, meetings have been happening to discuss the story and a potential R-rated version of the film.
- Lawrence expressed regret over the first film not fully embracing its R-rating, but now there's a chance to make a scarier and more violent sequel that stays true to the darker tone of the source material. The Elseworld label could be the perfect opportunity to introduce Constantine to a new audience without impacting the larger DCU.
Keanu Reeves' Constantine 2 received a new update after several bouts of uncertainty plaguing the DC project. There was also a teaser on the potential rating and content for the purported sequel.
Constantine originated from DC's Vertigo imprint and headlined a decades-long solo run titled Hellblazer after making his debut in another Vertigo title. 2005 saw a big-screen adaptation starring Keanu Reeves in the leading role of John Constantine, a confident man and petty dabbler in the dark arts. The supernatural horror-tinged film was met with mixed reviews from critics but quickly garnered a cult following amongst viewers and tripled its production budget at the box office. For his part, Reeves seemed to enjoy the experience and expressed that he would love to star in a Constantine sequel.
Now, for the first time since Reeves was attached to a Constantine sequel announced by Warner Bros, fans are getting a major update on the state of affairs of the sequel, and it’s good news. Speaking to GameSpot about the sequel, filmmaker Francis Lawrence offered insight into the movie's progress. His comments also explained why Constantine 2 has been taking so long.
So Constantine 2 obviously got held up by the writers strike. And 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. Keanu and Akiva Goldsman and I have been in meetings and have been hashing out what we think the story is going to be, and there's more meetings of those that have to happen--the script has to be written--but really hoping that we get to do Constantine 2, and make a real rated R version of it.
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The idea of an R-rated comic book movie is in vogue, most recently with Marvel edging towards an R-rating for Daredevil: Born Again. Lawrence previously discussed his ideal rating and lamented the 2005 project, which was intentionally held back from embracing the Mature rating. "One of the biggest things for me about the first one was we followed, per Warner Bros., the rules to make a PG-13 movie in terms of violence, blood, language, sexuality. But the rating board gave us a hard R based on their gray zone of intensity," Lawrence told The Wrap last November. "And my big, big regret was that we have an R-rated movie that's really a PG-13 movie. And if I was going to have to go have an R, I would have really made an R-rated movie. I would have made it much scarier and much more violent and I would have really made an R-rated movie."
In light of the incoming reboot to the cinematic universe, some might be wondering what Reeves' Constantine can bring to the new DCU. However, the answer to the question is irrelevant, as the Elseworld label would be the perfect place for the dark magician to cast his spell on a new audience without dragging the entire slate of new heroes down into his dark, morally grey world.
Constantine is currently available for streaming on Max.