A Constantine Sequel Is in the Works With Warner Bros, Keanu Reeves Returning
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In a very unexpected but welcome bit of good news for DC fans, Warner Bros. is moving forward with a sequel to 2005’s Constantine. And yes, Keanu Reeves will star once again as the wily magician/demon hunter John Constantine.
As reported by Deadline, Reeves is set to return alongside director Francis Lawrence and producer Akiva Goldsman. Goldsman is also penning the screenplay this time. The film is also being produced by Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella.
There’s no word on the plot of the sequel, nor whether other actors like Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf or Djimon Hounsou will also return.
Constantine 2 will mark the first time Reeves has played the title character in nearly 20 years, mirroring Michael Keaton’s belated return to the Batman role in 2023’s The Flash. As recently as December 2021, Reeves voiced a strong desire to reprise the Constantine role.
In the years since Constantine hit theaters, Matt Ryan has played the character in both live-action (NBC’s Constantine series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and animation (Justice League Dark). Jenna Coleman also plays a gender-swapped version of Constantine in Netflix’s The Sandman.
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Unfortunately, this movie comes at a cost. Variety corroborates Deadline’s story, while also reporting that Abrams’ Constantine and Madame X series are no longer moving forward. Abrams was announced to be working on a rebooted Constantine series in 2021, and the Madame X announcement followed later that same year. Both shows were expected to tie into the Justice League Dark series on HBO Max. It’s unclear whether Justice League Dark itself has been given the ax, but in light of the recent Batgirl cancellation, this is one more reminder that few DC movies or shows are truly safe during the current turmoil at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.