So many recent conversations have gone into what comic book characters may or may not be headed to Zack Snyder’s DC Comics films, one could be forgiven for forgetting that NBC is also heading into that universe with their upcoming series Constantine. Maybe the series will return to the top of fan expectations now that DC character Jim Corrigan has been cast, making it entirely plausible that The Spectre will be making his live-action TV debut at some point this fall. Who you gonna call?
The Corrigan role has been filled by Irish actor Emmett Scanlan, formerly of the long-running British soap opera Hollyoaks. Scanlan was notable for his work in the BBC’s acclaimed dramatic thriller The Fall last year, and he’s already walked down supernatural paths as the disciple Simon in the zombie drama In the Flesh, seen above. You might have seen him last month as one of the riot guards in Guardians of the Galaxy. That’s him below.
But…but that’s a Marvel movie, some of you are saying. Well cover your precious ears, for he also voiced a role in the animated film Thor: Legend of the Magical Hammer. I assume he was just a sleeper cell this whole time, waiting for DC to call his name.
In the series, Corrigan will be a New Orleans Police Department homicide detective who “is plunged into Constantine’s world of occult horrors,” says IGN. (They obviously can’t only have John Constantine (Matt Ryan) as the main guy seeing all of this weird shit.) This version of Corrigan will be dead set on bringing justice to criminals, and won’t be hesitant to break a few rules in putting bad guys behind bars. Or wherever you put bad guys who can magically float through bars.
In his earlier storylines - and he's had many - Corrigan is murdered, and his spirit then returns to Earth as The Spectre to seek vengeance, as willed by The Voice, or God if you want to get right down to it. Now, I’m not sure if executive producer Daniel Cerone is saying that The Spectre is definitely going to rise in this season, but he admitted during the Televisions Critics Association press event that they were looking to fill a cop role that would assist Constantine in his demon-destroying tasks, and that Corrigan was a perfect way to appeal to comic fans while also giving the show creators a chance to build a separate world for that character. Does that mean we’ll be getting a Spectre series at some point? It’s not out of the question.
We just have to really, really hope that audiences turn Constantine into a runaway success. So do your part in watching the series when it premieres on NBC on October 24.
