Kane Dane
Constantine was a letdown in 2005. Fans of the character were terrified that the film had used the British roots of John Constantine to make him American, and beyond that, the movie itself was not particularly high. There were a few high points. For Lucifer and Gabriel, Peter Stormare and Tilda Swinton were generally excellent, and visual effects prevailed. However, not much is said these days, since the character has earned a much better transition to live-action in The CW’s Arrowverse as portrayed by Matt Ryan.
John Constantine May Not Be Forgotten Entirely
Now, however, we hear some interesting talk that the 2005 John Constantine may not be forgotten entirely. One suggestion initially was to have a comic-precise Constantine on the computer, and earlier reports suggest Legion and Beauty and Dan Stevens were looking at it. The strategy seems to have been accomplished, however, and the studio is now re-evaluating the 2005 film.
DCEU’s Version Of Constantine
The DCEU version will be both a soft-boot and a sequel to the 2005 film, with Keanu Reeves and Tilda Swinton coming back in early talks. Neither has signed officially yet, but if the studio can lock them down, the story (a script by Mattson Tomlin, co-writer of The Batman) tells us that Gabriel will seek vengeance against Constantine.
Constantine In 2005
If you cast your mind behind, Constantine manipulated Gabriel to lose her divine protection in the 2005 film’s finale, which allowed Lucifer to burn her wings and make her deadly. This new movie will see her trying to regain her divinity and pull John Constantine down. And although it certainly sounds like a possible sequel, is a continuation of a mildly successful film from 15 years ago a concern of the audience?
Maybe, but my thinking is that Warner Bros. hopes to get Reeves in a comic book movie while he’s hot. After all, he’ll have his most iconic roles in Bill & Ted 3 again the next year or so: Face the Music, John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Matrix 4. And honestly, the older Reeves becomes, the more attractive he is as an actor, so now he would be almost certainly a better Constantine than in 2005.
