‘Constantine 2’ Happening With Keanu Reeves and Francis Lawrence; J.J. Abrams’ Related Shows Put Aside by HBO Max
A sequel to 2005’s Constantine is coming from original director Francis Lawrence and star Keanu Reeves, putting an end to two Bad Robot shows for HBO Max.
Both pieces of news come from Deadline, who surprised everyone on Friday with what might be one of the most unexpected announcements of the year. The original take on the Hellblazer comics didn’t find much economic nor critical success when it first came out, but it has gained a cult following of sorts over the years because of its atypical nature as a blockbuster and Keanu Reeves’ recent (and ongoing) renaissance of sorts. The latter — plus Warner Discovery boss David Zaslav’s commitment to turning DC Films into a theatrical brand first and foremost — probably kickstarted one of the unlikeliest sequels in recent memory.
Original director Francis Lawrence is returning to the director’s chair, though it remains to be seen whether this will happen before or after Netflix’s BioShock adaptation, another high-profile project he signed on to recently. And neither Constantine 2 nor BioShock will have the cameras rolling before Lawrence is done with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, coming out next year. Original producer Akiva Goldsman will write the screenplay and produce through his Weed Road Pictures, alongside Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella.
J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot had been developing — among other things — several new DC series for HBO Max for the past few years, paying special attention to darker DC characters such as John Constantine and Madame X. Due to Warner Discovery’s massive shift of plans for HBO Max and the DC brand as a whole, the shows’ chances of actually getting made went down severely in the last couple of months. However, Deadline‘s sources claim that both Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot “remain high on them and expect them to find new homes.” With the likes of The Sandman and Lucifer finding success elsewhere, there is a good chance someone will pick them up.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
