It can be hard to let go sometimes, even if you are a Hollywood-leading man like Keanu Reeves.
The John Wick actor has revealed he begged Warner Brothers for a Constantine sequel every year following the film’s release, simply because he ‘loved’ the role so much.
Part of the DC Universe, the 2005 flick follows tortured occult investigator John Constantine as he battles both the angelic and demonic alongside Angela Dodson (played by Rachel Weisz).
Speaking about his first major action hero role, Reeves said in a recent interview with Total Film: “I don’t know if it was unfinished business but it was definitely a role that I loved, and I thought that Francis Lawrence, the director, did such amazing work.
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"I loved playing that character, and I really enjoyed the film,”.
Despite doubling its budget and proving a hit with audiences, the critical reception of the film was poor - with reviewers calling the film ‘dingy’ and ‘bleak’.
Overshadowed by Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the first of which was released in the same year, a Constantine sequel was put on indefinite hold – much to the horror of Reeves.
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Reeves revealed to Total Film that he actually begged Warner Brothers executives to reconsider and joked that he even adopted the iconic line from Oliver Twist during discussions.
“I was like, [adopts Oliver Twist voice,] ‘Can I please have some more?’,” he quipped, adding: “I kept asking almost every year. I’d be like, ‘Can I please?’ [and] they’d be like, ‘No, no!'”
However, it seems as if the Matrix actor is about to get his wish, as almost twenty years later, a sequel is finally being produced - with the announcement being made in September of last year.
Reeves will star as titular Constantine with the director of the 2005 film, Francis Lawrence, also returning and Star Wars’ JJ Abrams as an executive producer.
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The Point Break actor has already shared his excitement about the project, saying: “It’s exciting. It’s almost like an open playground that we can hopefully cook something up and play in, and I guess get out of the playground and prepare a meal, but I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully it can happen.
"You don’t know how these things go. But I’m definitely going to try my darnedest to try and realize that dream.”
The film will also have a dark tone, similar to the original DC comics, and will have a hard R rating (possibly 18 for UK audiences).
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It’s hoped that the sequel will also mirror the gritty film planned for the DC extended universe, with upcoming sequels to The Batman and Joker also in production.
After the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as DC’s studio bosses though, fans are already concerned about the fate of the Constantine sequel.
Some have even taken to Twitter to beg Gunn not to cancel the film, with one writing: “Day 1 of asking @JamesGunn to not cancel Constantine 2 with Keanu Reeves”.
It comes after the executives axed several fan favourites, including Man Of Steel’s Henry Cavill, who was ousted shortly after announcing his highly anticipated return as Superman.
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His departure was badly received, with many vowing to boycott Gunn’s DC universe.
The backlash intensified the frustration fans already had with cancellation of Batgirl, who instead prioritised The Flash film with controversial actor Ezra Miller.
With so much controversy surrounding the studio, executives at DC will be keen to keep fans on side so it’s unlikely that Constantine 2 would be shelved.
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In the meantime thought, DC fans will be anxiously awaiting updates about Constantine’s sequel ahead of it’s release in March 2024.
Topics: DC Comics, Film and TV, Keanu Reeves, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, James Gunn, Superman, Batman
Katherine Sidnell