Keanu Reeves has played iconic roles such as The One a.k.a Neo and the Baba Yaga in The Matrix and John Wick franchises. While the actor has always spoken about his fascination with the character of Wolverine, Reeves has only played one fringe DC superhero on the big screen, when he starred in Francis Lawrence’s Constantine.
The DC film was panned upon release but the Reeves starrer has since gained a cult following and a sequel was also in the works until James Gunn’s new DCU foiled those plans. Despite the film receiving all the hate when it was released, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura mentioned that he had a lot of fun making the first film and has no regrets.
Constantine Producer Loved Making The Keanu Reeves Starrer
The Keanu Reeves starrer Constantine was first conceived in 1997, based on the Hellblazer comic book by Alan Moore. The DC character was known for his wit, nonchalance, and cynicism. The film was reportedly first offered to Nicholas Cage, with Tarsem Singh tapped to direct. But the project fell through and then Francis Lawrence and Keanu Reeves came on board.
The film reportedly changed many elements of John Constantine from the comics. For starters, Keanu Reeves did not have Constantine’s Liverpool accent and chose to be American instead, which enraged fans. The film received mixed reviews when released but was a commercially successful film. It earned over $230 million against a $100 million budget.
The film has since developed a cult status, with many fans loving the campy nature of the Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz starrer. The legacy of the film prompted DC to commission a sequel, but the project has been in development for many years. Hope for the sequel dwindled when James Gunn’s new DCU slate did not contain the film.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who was responsible for the Transformers films was also a producer on Constantine. He mentioned that though there has been no news regarding the sequel’s development, he hoped that director Francis Lawrence and Keanu Reeves still push for it. The veteran producer, who was also attached to the upcoming Madame Web film said to ComicBook.com,
“Great in comic books, and it was great making that first movie. It’s such an alternative kind of character. It’s what really attracted me to Madame Web, was the singularity of the character, that idea that she is going to become blind and that she is going to become this other thing was really attractive.”
While there has been no new update on the sequel, Keanu Reeves once assured fans that he had spoken with current DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Will A Constantine Sequel Happen?
A sequel to Keanu Reeves’ Constantine was announced in 2022 when Deadline reported that Keanu Reeves, director Francis Lawrence, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman would return to work on the film. Warner Brothers reportedly made a deal with Goldsman and JJ Abrams to produce the project, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura attached as an executive producer.
However, there have been very few updates about the sequel, with the film having not even crossed the scripting stage. Francis Lawrence mentioned to GameSpot in 2023 that the film had stalled development due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The director also mentioned that he wished the film to be R-rated. He said,
“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.”
Keanu Reeves had also mentioned that he had spoken with James Gunn and Peter Safran, who had assured him that the film would be made as part of the DC ‘Elseworlds’ and not part of the main DCU continuity.
