Save Constantine?
Constantine 2 may finally be moving forward, but not without complications. While director Francis Lawrence recently said he and Keanu Reeves are “super excited” about the sequel, co-star Peter Stormare now claims there’s tension behind the scenes, and that Reeves isn’t happy with the direction Warner Bros. wants to take.
According to Stormare, the studio is pushing for over-the-top action and CGI spectacle, while Reeves wants something more grounded and closer in tone to the original 2005 cult hit.
What did Peter Stormare say about Constantine 2 and Keanu Reeves?
While recently speaking with The Direct, Stormare, who played Satan in the first film, said the following:
“It’s a lot of back and forth, because… I think Keanu [Reeves], which I know pretty good, is not so happy with the scripts and usually what comes out of the studios… Because the first one wasn’t that successful in the beginning, it became a sleeper and became a cult movie, and now it is one of the biggest cult movies ever. But to do a sequel, the studios want to have, you know, cars flying in the air. They want to have people doing flip-flops and fighting action scenes.”
Keanu Reeves Wants Constantine 2 to Stay True to the Original
Stormare went on to explain that Reeves sees Constantine as a more spiritual film — about demons and regular people — and doesn’t want the sequel to become just another effects-heavy action flick.
He said Reeves is proud of the character and has been fighting to keep the tone grounded and close to what made the original a cult classic.
Akiva Goldsman Writing Constantine 2
Akiva Goldsman is writing the Constantine 2 script. His track record is a mixed bag; he’s been behind critically acclaimed projects like A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man, but also wrote Batman & Robin and Transformers: The Last Knight. So, depending on which version of Goldsman shows up (or how much the studio influences him), Constantine 2 could go either way.
A Look Back at the First Constantine
Released in 2005, Constantine starred Keanu Reeves as the chain-smoking exorcist and occult detective John Constantine, based on the character from the DC Comics. While it opened to mixed reviews and modest box office numbers, the film slowly gained a cult following over the years thanks to its dark tone, unique visuals, and standout performances from a cast that included Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, and Peter Stormare as one of the most memorable portrayals of Lucifer on screen.
Though it deviated from the source material in some ways, especially with Reeves’ American take on the traditionally British character, fans have long praised the movie’s gritty atmosphere and grounded approach to the supernatural, which is exactly the tone Reeves is reportedly fighting to preserve in the sequel.
