Starting with shows like Creature Commandos and movies like Superman: Legacy, the majority of DC movies and TV shows will exists within the new DC Universe shared continuity. However, some room has been allotted for “Elseworlds” projects, including the Joker movies, The Batman franchise and Keanu Reeves’ Constantine 2, the latter of which was revealed to be in development last September. For those who are concerned if Reeves’ reprisal of John Constantine will actually happen, its odds of moving forward have received a big boost.
Akiva Goldsman, who is writing Constantine 2 and whose past DC credits include Batman Forever, Batman & Robin and Titans (which will end later this year), has signed a new multi-year, first-look deal between his production company Weed Road Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. Weed Road had most recently been churning out film and TV content for MGM, but now that it’s collaborating with WB again, the company will be focused on not just making Constantine 2 a reality, but also moving forward with the I Am Legend sequel that was announced in March 2022. Goldsman said the following in an official statement (via Deadline):
We’re starting with two projects that are fun and very much Warners; the sequel to I Am Legend, with Will and Michael B. Jordan, and the sequel to Constantine with Keanu Reeves that Francis Lawrence is going to direct. So I’m coming out of the gate fast. We’re doing it with JJ Abrams, and Francis and Keanu and I have been pretty deep in the story breaking stage.
Released in 2005, the first Constantine movie, in which Keanu Reeves co-starred as the title chain-smoking occult detective opposite Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton and Djimon Hounsou, among others, made over $230 million worldwide and was met with mixed reviews at the time. However, its critical standing has improved in the years since, and in addition to Reeves reprising his role and Akiva Goldsman tackling the script, Francis Lawrence will be sitting back in the director’s chair for Constantine 2. Reeves said in January that he enjoyed playing John Constantine and joked about begging DC to make the sequel, and it didn’t take long for fan art of the John Wick actor returning as the DC character to be shared online.
Although there was no mention of Constantine 2 in the DC Studios presentation that happened at the end of January, a Warner Bros. spokesperson confirmed that the sequel was still in development. To be clear, we can’t say with 100% certainty yet that Constantine 2 will someday be played on the big screen, but it’s clear that Akiva Goldsman is making it a priority now that Weed Road Pictures has been set back up at WB. Francis Lawrence is aiming Constantine 2 an R-rated offering from the get-go, as opposed what happened with the first movie, where it was intended to PG-13, but was stamped with an R by the MPAA.
The original Constantine movie can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription, and you can also find Matt Ryan’s animated outings as the character on that same streaming service. As soon as any major updates on Constantine 2’s progress come in, we’ll pass them along.
