The long weeks of debate surrounding Constantine’s cancellation and the subsequent hope that the comic book-based series would be resurrected is now finished. Over the weekend, Constantine executive producer Daniel Cerone announced that the cast and the writers on the former NBC series have officially been released from their contracts. It seems the rumors that NBC was hoping to re-homeConstantine were true, despite some contrary evidence. However, it looks as if the show is officially dead in the water.
Cerone’s lengthy message, released on Sunday via Twitter, explains that even the details he has related to NBC’s decision-making process are scarce.
The studio tried to find a new home for the show, for which we're forever grateful, but those efforts didn't pan out. I'm sorry, I wasn't provided any information on the attempts to sell the show elsewhere. All I can report is that the show is over.
The message also pays homage to Matt Ryan, who was widely praised as John Constantine on the hit series. He says the writing team was incredibly dedicated to the series and thankful to be given the opportunity to create something that had as avid of a fanbase as Constantine for TV. He says that it is the fans who will end up missing out the most, thanks to NBC’s decision.
The writers of Constantine lived the dream, because we're leaving behind wild and passionate fans who believe in and were moved by what we tried to do. To leave such a significant, dedicated and active fan base on the table -- that's the real sadness. You all deserve many years of the series we set out to make, and we're disappointed that we couldn't deliver that to you. The good news is that Constantine will live on for years in many more forms. But our time as caretakers has ended.
This year, a lot of the people involved with cancelled shows took to social media to thank fans for their great support. Forever’s Ioan Gruffudd had a particularly compelling thank you to fans, and he was joined by others, including Cristela Alonzo. And while Constantine’s return to television always seemed like a longshot, it’s not the first time a dead show has been given new life, as both Longmire and The Mindy Project were picked back up after getting axed.
As to where this leaves possible John Constantine cameos, the future is still uncertain. Cerone’s note mentions that Matt Ryan and the other actors have definitely been released from their contracts, but Arrow producer Marc Guggenheim has already expressed interest in having the actor appear on the CW drama. We have a few months to wait before any superhero shows return to the schedule, but we’ll definitely let you know if this development pans out.
