James Gunn Not Ruling Out ‘Constantine 2’ With Keanu Reeves Returning, But Hasn’t Read A Script: “I’ve Discussed It With Keanu”

Before the DCU reset and the formation of DC Studios, headed up by Peter Safran and James Gunn, there had been some promising talk of “Constantine 2” coming together with director Francis Lawrence, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, and star Keanu Reeves returning as the demon-fighting John Constantine. There is now a slight update from Gunn, and it sounds like it isn’t dead as (other pre-DC Studios projects were assumed to be), with the studio head keeping the door open.

“I’ve discussed it on and off. I’ve discussed it with Keanu [Reeves],” Gunn recently told the “BobaTalks” podcast of the current status of the horror-centric DC Comics sequel. “That’s a great group of guys. I like all those people a lot, I think they’re talented. But I have not read any script yet.”

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The script angle concerning “Constantine 2” here is super important. Gunn has been quite vocal that he and co-CEO Safran have their own in-house studio mandate of not moving forward with new DC Comics films and shows without scripts they’re 100% happy with. Given that they don’t have a script for the horror sequel, for the moment, seems to be still in the early development stage, but Gunn’s minor update doesn’t sound like it has been scrapped or anything seriously dire for its fate. Many of the pre-DC Studios projects didn’t carry over, but this might be the exception, if a script is approved.

That said, we’re already seeing DC Studios enter the world of the horror genre as James Watkins‘ “Clayface” solo movie is being described as a “body horror” story and has a script penned by Mike Flanagan (“Doctor Sleep”) as the movie that was recently shooting in the United Kingdom would focus on the fan-favorite Batman villain, who is turned into a shapeshifting and monsterous figure that inhabits Gotham City. There is also the “Swamp Thing” movie remake that James Mangold was attached to, which would also be considered part of the horror side of the DC franchise, but given Mangold’s new Paramount Pictures deal, we don’t expect that one to move forward with the filmmaker behind the camera (unless they hand it over to a new creative team/director).

Lawrence is also quite busy. After making/releasing “The Long Walk,” he is back at Lionsgate for their latest “Hunger Games” prequel, “Sunrise on The Reaping,” and is poised to shoot the long-gestating live-action”BioShock” movie for Netflix next.

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We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Keanu gets another shot at the DC character with “Constantine 2,” eventually. You can listen/watch that full chat between Gunn and the BobaTalks podcast below.

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Christopher Marc is lead writer at The Playlist and the primary engine behind our daily news coverage. Chris is based in Canada and tracks everything from Marvel and Star Wars developments to arthouse acquisitions and festival buzz with equal enthusiasm and an instinct for the story readers actually want to read.

Christopher Marc
Christopher Marc
Christopher Marc is lead writer at The Playlist and the primary engine behind our daily news coverage. Chris is based in Canada and tracks everything from Marvel and Star Wars developments to arthouse acquisitions and festival buzz with equal enthusiasm and an instinct for the story readers actually want to read.

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