Fans of Keanu Reeves’ Constantine were pleasantly surprised when it was announced back in 2022 that the movie would be getting a long-awaited sequel. The 2005 original seemed to only get more popular as time has gone on, and yet, following the original announcement, we’ve heard very little about the status of Constantine 2.
Those same excited fans would be forgiven for believing that Constantine 2 would be forever stuck in development hell. And yet, Francis Lawrence, who directed the original movie and is set to return for the sequel, recently told Collider that the sequel is currently closer to becoming reality than it has ever been. He said…
I will say we are closer than ever to being able to do a sequel, which is a great thing. And Akiva, Keanu and I are super, super excited about it.
It sounds like while there certainly hasn’t been much public discussion of the movie, the writer, director and star have continued to work on the project over the last couple of years. Late last year, we did learn that there is apparently a script for Constantine 2. While it’s unclear if the script is done, Lawrence revealed a bit about its inspiration, saying…
We have a great idea. We have gone through a bunch of the comics over the years and looked at things. I will say that there’s probably grains from things that we’re pulling, but in truth, most of it is just coming from the three of us, you know, loving the character, loving the world, having it sort of 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.
Constantine 2 may be taking some inspiration from the comics, but it sounds like the team is mostly looking to do their own thing. While that might seem like a decision that would really upset fans, it’s actually perfectly in line with the first movie. The casting of Keanu Reeves as John Constantine was originally met with derision, and the fact that the first movie wasn’t a particularly faithful adaptation certainly didn’t go unnoticed by fans or critics.
Still, Constantine has become something of a cult classic for a reason. Those fans have ultimately come to appreciate the movie that it is, so making another the same way is likely the best way for the sequel to be successful…. even if Keanu does decide to go blonde in the sequel.
There are still a lot of details left to iron out. For example, will Constantine 2 be part of James Gunn’s DCU? We also still have no idea when Constantine 2 will actually start filming, never mind actually hit theaters, but it is looking like those things will happen, and perhaps sooner than we thought.