Key Takeaways
- Sequel Development: Keanu Reeves is actively pursuing a sequel to Constantine, discussing it with DC Studios.
- Script Status: James Gunn confirmed he has not yet read a script for Constantine 2.
- Director's Vision: Francis Lawrence aims to create a true R-rated experience for the sequel.
- Original Success: The first Constantine film grossed $230.9 million against a budget of $70-100 million.
It’s been twenty years since the release of Constantine, but Keanu Reeves has been trying to get a sequel going, even pitching the concept to DC Studios earlier this year. So, where’s it at now? While speaking with BobaTalks, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed he has met with Reeves about Constantine 2.
“I’ve discussed it on and off. I discussed it with Keanu,” he said. “So, yeah, I mean, that’s a great group of guys. I like all those people a lot, I think they’re talented, but I have not read any script yet, so…“
Gunn has frequently stated that no project will be greenlit without a script he is satisfied with. Reeves did tell Fandango earlier this month that the script is finally coming together. “Yeah, fingers crossed. You know, another draft of the script came in,” he said. “We’re waiting. We’re gonna take it to the studio. Hopefully, they like it, too.“
The original Constantine movie was released in 2005 and grossed a respectable $230.9 million on a $70-100 million budget. The movie found Constantine helping an LAPD detective (Rachel Weisz) prove that her sister’s death wasn’t a suicide but was, in fact, something much more sinister.
Director Francis Lawrence is set to return for the sequel and has previously said he’d like to develop Constantine 2 with an R-rating in mind. “One of the biggest things for me about the first one was we followed, per Warner Bros., the rules to make a PG-13 movie in terms of violence, blood, language, sexuality,” Lawrence said. “But the ratings board gave us a hard R based on their the gray zone of intensity. And my big, big regret was that we have an R-rated movie that’s really a PG-13 movie. And if I was going to have to go have an R, I would have really made an R-rated movie. I would have made it much scarier and much more violent and I would have really made an R-rated movie. The idea is this time, at least for me, is to really go at it and make a real R-rated Constantine, which is what people always wanted originally, not the PG-13 version that just happens to get an R.“
I’ll admit to being intrigued by the idea of Reeves returning to play an older, wiser John Constantine, but do you think DC Studios will really pull the trigger on this one?
