Twenty years ago this month, Keanu Reeves headlined Constantine, a theatrical adaptation of DC’s Hellblazer comic about an occult investigator named John Constantine. Despite previous reports that a sequel was in the works, Constantine 2 has failed to escape Hollywood’s development Hell. But according to Reeves, the sequel may finally be ready to go forward.
“We’ve been trying to make this film for over a decade,’ Reeves told Inverse. “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.”
Back in September 2022, Deadline reported that Constantine 2 was in the works with Reeves returning alongside Constantine director Francis Lawrence and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who produced the original film. The movie made several changes to the source material to accommodate the casting of Reeves, including changing his nationality from British to American and giving him dark hair instead of blond.
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The first film’s story revolved around Constantine’s attempt to help Detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) discover why her twin sister committed suicide. In the process, Constantine and Dodson discovered a plan to unleash Hell on Earth. Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Djimon Hounsou had supporting roles while Peter Stormare memorably appeared as Lucifer.
Earlier this month, Lawrence told Collider that “we are closer than ever to being able to do a sequel, which is a great thing… We have gone through a bunch of the comics over the years and looked at things.” He added that Constantine 2 has been “in the back of our minds for 20 years and just kind of percolating on ideas, and stories and characters we love, and ideas we love.”
DC Studios has yet to formally announce Constantine 2. If it goes forward, it will remain separate from the newly rebooted DC Universe movies, which will begin with the premiere of James Gunn’s Superman on July 11.