Back in 2005, the Keanu Reeves vehicle Constantine did alright. A very American take on the very British comic Hellblazer, it made a decent amount of money and got mixed reviews. Then it disappeared. There was no sequel. But over the years it’s gained a reputation, all while Reeves’s star has gotten arguably bigger than ever. Not long ago, HBO Max wanted to revive Constantine as a new show. But now Warner Bros. has decided to make things easy and just bring Reeves back for a sequel.
As per Variety, the studio is getting most of the old gang back together, reuniting Reeves with the original film’s director, Francis Lawrence, who went on to helm I Am Legend, Red Sparrow, and three Hunger Games entries. He’s also directing the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so don’t expect Constantine 2 any time soon.
That means the Constantine show — which was to feature a non-white version of John Constantine, the chainsmoking big city occult detective, who can literally go to hell — has been put on indefinite hold. Ditto Madame X, about the DC sorceress Madame Xanadu. That doesn’t mean both will never happen; they simply have to find new, non-HBO Max homes, as Warner Bros. Discovery goes through some things. In the meantime, let’s hope they bring back the film’s stacked supporting cast, including Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, and — that’s right — Bush vocalist Gavin Rossdale.
(Via Variety)