These days, movies fans are having this urge to want studios to revisit old franchises. When I say “old”, I mean movies that go way back into the early 2000’s. This is becoming a more frequent demand in the superhero fan community. For instance, Marvel fans desperately want Tobey Maguire to reprise his role as Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I won’t lie, I’m one of them. I said it many times before and I’ll say it again, Tobey’s Spider-Man never got a proper conclusion and he needs to come back. Am I alone on that? Absolutely not. That’s because we want him back and we’re expecting him to pop out of a portal thanks to Doctor Strange and meet Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
We’re hearing the rumors, but we want some confirmation soon. I have a strong feeling it will happen. I mean, come on, it’s just too golden of an opportunity to pass. Anyhow, I that’s just one of many examples, but it’s becoming more common with the superhero genre. Speaking of which, does a 2005 comic book movie called Constantine ring a bell? That was long before Keanu Reeves became John Wick, his signature comeback role. Well, before John Wick, I was still a massive Keanu fan. I thank the Matrix for that, but he had other big roles. One of those roles is the famous DC/Vertigo character, John Constantine.
What is there to say about this character? Demon Hunter, occultist, con artist, detective, warlock… he’s a complicated man. I’ll admit, I haven’t read too many Hellblazer comics, but I’ve read more comics where he’s the supporting character. If you’re not too familiar with Constantine, I suggest you read something he’s in. There’s a reason why Warner Bros. thought he was a comic book character worthy enough to get his own movie. The truth is, he’s just cool.
Unfortunately, the 2005 movie starring Keanu Reeves wasn’t so great. Was it terrible like Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four movie? Gosh no. It was watchable and enjoyable, but ultimately forgettable. For one, Keanu Reeves is an American actor playing a British character. No accent from him. Maybe that was a good thing, because last time he attempted an English accent, it was in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and it was… very bad. Don’t get me wrong, I love Keanu Reeves. I loved him since I first saw him in the first Matrix and even when he seemingly lost his mojo, I remained a loyal fan of his. I just have to say, thank goodness for John Wick.
Back to Constantine though, Keanu’s performance as the character was just fine. He didn’t go with the accent, but he still carried that Constantine swagger and his cocky attitude. That was enough to get me through the movie, but it wasn’t enough to make it great. He smoked that cigarettes, shot demons and defied Satan himself, but all of that still made for a lackluster movie. There were other good things in the movie, such as a Rachel Weisz, Shia Labeouf when he was still sane, and Peter Stormare as Satan. Okay, now Peter Stormare was probably the best part of the movie. Sadly, he wasn’t in the movie too much, but when he was on screen, he killed it.
Speaking of Peter Stormare, the actor actually got on his Instagram recently and claimed that a sequel to Constantine is in the works. So, if you were a fan of the 2005 Constantine movie, does that mean we can expect a sequel soon? Well, let’s pump the brakes for a second here. According to Stormare’s post, he says it’s “in the works” but that doesn’t always mean it will happen. Now if Keanu Reeves, the star of that movie, came out and said it, that’s a different story. For me, I’m just not buying that Warner Bros. wants to pursue a sequel to a film that didn’t do too well financially or critically. I also don’t completely believe the word of a supporting actor of that movie.
However, let’s just say that Peter Stormare’s word is enough and Warner Bros. is indeed considering a sequel for Constantine. The real question is, do we really need it? The short answer is no. Now, if a sequel is really being considered, I can understand why. Nowadays, Keanu Reeves is on a hot streak and apparently every studio wants to use him for something. If he attracts an audience, they’ll bring money, so it would make sense to use that to their advantage. The only problem with that is Constantine wasn’t everyone’s favorite Keanu Reeves role. That role doesn’t hold up the same as Neo or John Wick does. Even if Keanu was willing to return, I have a feeling that not everyone would be too excited to see him play that character again. Honestly, we just want more John Wick and The Matrix 4.
Now let’s say, for some reason, Keanu doesn’t return, but Warner Bros. wants to cast another actor for Constantine. I say go for it, but don’t give him a solo movie. They tried it once before and it didn’t work. They even gave it another shot with the CW series starring Matt Ryan (who was amazing) and that only lasted one season. Perhaps the solo Constantine adventures just aren’t enough to carry on his journey by themselves. There is a solution, however, and it’s the best route to go: Justice League Dark.
In a time where superhero teams can flourish on the big-screen, now is as good as time as any to give us Justice League Dark. Heck, J.J. Abrams is already going for it on HBO Max. That’s exciting news, because now Constantine doesn’t have to fight the mystic threats of DC alone. Watching him join forces with the likes of Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Deadman, and Etrigan the Demon will be way more fun than watching him work alone. If we’re talking about going back, Guillermo Del Toro attempted a Justice League Dark movie a while ago and it sadly didn’t happen. Now, Justice League Dark has a chance to be revitalized in the form of a series. We’ll get to see more John Constantine and a batch of new characters who haven’t had the chance to debut on the big-screen.
So, Keanu fans, if you wanted more of his Constantine, I honestly wouldn’t count on it. If it doesn’t happen, we’ll just get more John Wick. We’ll be sure to get more John Constantine and it won’t be in the form of Keanu, but he will be with his fellow Justice League Dark members. If you can’t do it alone, go with the team.
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