Keanu Reeves Is Not the Reason That a ‘Constantine’ Reboot Is Not Being Made — He ‘Would Love To Do Another’
It has been 15 years since the release of Keanu Reeves’ Constantine, yet fans are still calling for a sequel to the beloved DC Extended Universe film. A follow-up to the cult movie has been talked about for over a decade, but producers don’t seem any closer to making it a reality. Although there are many reasons why a Constantine sequel has yet to grace the big screens, the movie’s director revealed that Reeves would “love to do another.”
The director wants to make another Constantine movie
Despite not getting the project off the ground, director Francis Lawrence has confirmed that he and producer Akiva Goldsman want to make a Constantine sequel. While this is certainly good news for fans who have waited well over a decade for the sequel, the project has many obstacles to overcome.
In an interview with Slash Film, Lawrence explained how his team has been discussing ideas for a Constantine sequel for years and want to make something that is lower budget than the original. He also wants the film to be R-rated, something DC has been more open to in recent years.
“I think we all wanted to do it. It was successful enough,” Lawrence shared. “We wanted to make a responsible, more R-rated movie. By responsible, I mean we’d make a movie that wouldn’t cost quite as much as the original, which we thought was going to be PG-13. We worked on the sequel for a while. It was tricky to come up with where to take it.”
The filmmaker went on to say that one element he liked about the original is that the story was very “personal.” In the sequel, he doesn’t want to get “caught up in the supernatural gobblygook,” which should help keep the cost down.
Lawrence did not reveal any more details about the plot of the sequel, but he did say that Reeves is on board with making another Constantine movie. The only issue is convincing DC to move forward with the project.
Keanu Reeves is interested in reprising his role
Lawrence stated that he and Goldsman have talked about the sequel and revealed that they brought Reeves into the discussion as well. The actor is very interested in reprising his role as the anti-hero, which is definitely a step in the right direction.
“We have been talking about it recently. It’s always stuck with all of us because we all love the movie, and especially realizing there’s a real cult following for this movie, it’d be fun to make. Keanu, Akiva, and I have actually talked about it,” Lawrence shared.
Unfortunately, the final decision to produce another Constantine film rests with DC. The studio owns Vertigo and has plans for creating an even larger DCEU. With that in mind, Lawrence has found it difficult to convince DC to green-light his project.
In fact, Lawrence explained how DC has been pitching a variety of storylines for the character, including having multiple Constantines running around. He also revealed that he has investigated the matter with DC and noted that they “don’t have that character available for us for TV or movies.”
Lawrence said that DC told him “no” when he pitched his idea. The studio apparently has “other plans” for the character, which puts the sequel in limbo yet again. Given Reeves’ popularity, hopefully, Lawrence can convince DC to rethink their plans.
Keanu Reeves and Francis Lawrence set to reunite
While fans wait to see if Reeves and Lawrence can get their Constantine project approved, the two are set to reunite at Comic-Con this year. The annual event was moved to a virtual setting in light of the coronavirus pandemic and will feature a Constantine panel.
In honor of the film’s 15th anniversary, Reeves, Lawrence, and Goldsman will appear on the panel to discuss the 2005 film. It is unclear if the trio will reveal anything new about the sequel, but they will share some behind-the-scenes stories of the original adaptation.
Apart from Reeves, the film features Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, and Shia LaBeouf. Frank Cappello and Kevin Brodbin wrote the screenplay, which was taken from the DC Comics Hellblazer.
The 2005 movie was not well received by the critics and it currently holds a 46 percent on the review site, Rotten Tomatoes. Fans, however, loved the film and it has developed a cult-like following over the years.
DC has not commented on the possibility of a Constantine sequel. Reeves is gearing up for the release of Bill & Ted Face the Music and is currently filming The Matrix 4.
