John Constantine has faced demons, angels, and Satan himself, but for the past 21 years, Keanu Reeves’ supernatural detective has been trapped in an especially cruel circle of the supernatural realm: development hell. Now, Constantine director Francis Lawrence thinks the sequel finally has a chance. Following James Gunn and Peter Safran’s removal from DC Studios leadership, Lawrence says the two executives were standing in the way of getting the movie made.
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Lawrence was upfront about the situation when speaking to Collider while promoting the latest Hunger Games film. “We have a script, we’ve been wanting to make it and the people that were at DC were an impediment to us making it,” he said. Lawrence said he was not happy about anyone losing their jobs, but said he is “more hopeful” about the sequel’s chances. Reeves, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and producer J.J. Abrams are all still involved. The movie is waiting for studio approval.
Constantine Was Banished to Purgatory by James Gunn
The original Constantine debuted in 2005 and grossed approximately $230 million worldwide, against a reported $100 million budget. Despite mixed reviews, the film developed a cult following. Reeves and Lawrence have discussed making a sequel for years, but Warner Bros. never gave them the opportunity. Meanwhile, Constantine continued to appear in other DC projects. Matt Ryan played the character on an NBC series before joining the Arrowverse. Guillermo del Toro also spent years developing a Justice League Dark film that never materialized. Warner Bros. finally announced Constantine 2 in 2022, with Reeves and Lawrence returning and Goldsman writing the screenplay. The 2023 Hollywood writers’ strike caused a delay in development, and the film has yet to be approved.
DC Studios reportedly hired Francis Galluppi last week to pen a standalone Constantine movie. That raised questions about the future of Lawrence’s sequel, especially because the studio was developing another version of the character while the Reeves project remained dormant. But DC Studios is about to get a massive shake-up. Skydance took over Warner Bros and now Gunn and Safran are stepping down as co-heads of DC Studios. Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham will assume the role on December 1st. And Gunn and Safran will still be making movies. But they won’t be running the DC ship. Skydance also plans to throw out much of their intended slate, with projects already in production likely to survive. This leaves Constantine 2 in an odd position. Galluppi’s movie is not canceled yet and Lawrence’s sequel is not approved yet. But Reeves wants to come back, the script is written, and the studio execs named as roadblocks are gone. Constantine is finally seeing a light at the end of 21 years in development hell.
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