Keanu Reeves is set to continue his recent run of sequels by reprising the role of unconventional exorcist John Constantine for Constantine 2, a sequel that has been some 20 years in the making.
First released in 2005, Constantine served as a big screen adaptation of the DC Comics cult horror favorite Hellblazer, which centered on a streetwise spiritualist capable of seeing the angels and demons that walk among us. Having discovered he is dying, Constantine embarks on a mission to prevent the demons of hell from reaching Earth, with a view to saving his soul in the process.
A dark take on the cynical comic book hero, the film, which was helmed by first time director Francis Lawrence who would go on to considerable success overseeing things on several Hunger Games movies, retained some of the neo-noir qualities of the graphic novels, although the movie’s excessive violence drew criticism.
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Despite a lukewarm reception from the critics the film fared well with fans nonetheless, making more than double the estimated $70m to $100m budget back. It was clear there was appetite for a sequel but, in the years that followed, Reeves’ bankability at the box office faltered, with the star opting for a selection of lower-budget movies and passion projects rather than anything designed primarily to get butts on seats in multiplexes.
That all changed with the arrival of the John Wick movies. Essentially a distillation of the lobby scene from The Matrix, Reeves, alongside stunt coordinator turned director Chad Stahelski, took action cinema to a frenetic new level.
That success opened the door to The Matrix Resurrections in 2021 with Reeves using the promotional tour for that movie to reiterate his desire to return as Constantine. In an appearance on The Stephen Colbert Show, he told the host: “I would love to play John Constantine from the Constantine [movie.] I’ve tried, I’ve tried Stephen.”
Those comments echoed similar statements from an interview with Esquire where Reeves said: “I love playing Constantine. John Constantine. I’ve played a lot of Johns. How many Johns have I played? I don’t even know. I think it’s over ten. But anyway, I’d love to have the chance to play Constantine again.”
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By 2022, it was official with Deadline reporting on plans at Warner Bros. to develop a sequel to Constantine with Reeves and Lawrence both returning. Things went a little quiet for a while though. In October 2023, Lawrence revealed that while the project had been beset by delays, plans were still on course to give the fans more of what they loved about the first movie.
Speaking to Gamespot, Lawrence said: “Constantine 2 got obviously 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.”
In the same interview Lawrence confirmed discussions were still ongoing regarding the plot, though all parties agreed that they would be doubling down on the horror elements of Hellblazer this time around.
“Keanu and Akiva Goldsman and I have been in meetings and have been hashing out what we think the story is going to be,” he said. “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.”
The decision to install James Gunn as the creative lead responsible for resurrecting the fortunes of the DC Comics Cinematic Universe left some wondering what that meant for the future of Constantine 2.
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However, in an AMA session on Reddit in March 2023, Reeves appeared to indicate he had discussed the project directly with Gunn and the response had been a positive one. Asked: “Have you spoken with James Gunn at all with regards Constantine 2? Hope we get to see it.” Reeves replied: “Yes, and me too.”
The suspicion is that Constantine 2 could operate in a similar way to Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movies, as a separate entity existing outside the DC Comics cinematic universe.
The most recent update came in September 2024 from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura who confirmed in an interview with ComicBook.com that the script for the long-awaited sequel had been written.
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“You know it’s in my inbox right now. Funny enough, I’m too scared to read it, though,” he said. “I want it to be good so bad. I’ll probably read it in the next few days. When I get on an airplane.”
In the meantime, the cast remains firmly in the dark about plans, or so it would seem. Peter Stormare, who played Satan in the film, was among the first people to suggest a sequel was in the works, with the star taking to Instagram in 2021 with a post claiming as much.
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One character who looks less likely to return this time around is Gabriel, played by Tilda Swinton. During an interview with Inverse, Swinton confirmed she too had heard plans for a sequel were in the offing though noted she had yet to receive a call about reprising her role from the first movie. Given how much her stature has grown in the years since, it’s telling.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you that I know nothing about this sequel except that I’ve heard it’s happening,” Swinton said. “Unless they’re very late in calling me, I don’t think Gabriel will be flapping his/her wings. I did hear a rumor, I don’t know if you heard it, that Keanu was going to play Gabriel. Which would be beautiful.
When exactly Reeves will be free to return is unclear. Reeves currently has seven movies in post-production but, aside from another voice role, he appears ready and willing to get things moving as quickly as possible. With no more John Wick movies currently in the pipeline, this could be the perfect opportunity for Reeves to turn to another action franchise with similarly explosive results.
