In the nearly 20 years since it was first released, Francis Lawrence's Constantine has garnered a lot of appreciation from fans – but a minor sticking point in judgement has long existed regarding the casting of Keanu Reeves in the titular role. The actor does an impressive job playing the chain smoking occult detective, but in addition to the character not being portrayed as British (as he is in the comics), John Constantine notably has black hair instead of blond. This was the subject of much debate when the film was first released back in 2005... so is it something that could potentially change with the development of Constantine 2?
I asked that very question of Keanu Reeves last month when I had the opportunity to interview the actor during the Los Angeles press day for John Wick: Chapter 4. Reeves was a bit cagey about the subject, mostly not demonstrating an overwhelming confidence that the sequel would come together, and he acknowledged that the differences between his version of Constantine and the one from the comics has inspired "trouble" in the past:
We're trying, I don't know if it's gonna happen. If it happens?...I'm playing a different Constantine than the comic, you know, and I do get in a bit of trouble for that.
It was last September that the news first started spreading around that a Constantine 2 is in the works... though that was about a month before the news broke that a regime change was happening at DC Studios, with James Gunn and Peter Safran being hired as the company's new co-CEOs. The sequel noticeably wasn't mentioned during a press event in January when the upcoming slate of DC Universe projects was officially announced, but writer/producer Akiva Goldsman confirmed that gears are still turning on the project a few weeks later. The movie wouldn't be a part of the developing DCU canon, but instead an Elseworlds story set in a separate continuity.
During my interview with Keanu Reeves, I threw out some options to explain why John Constantine's hair color could change between Constantine and Constantine 2, but the John Wick star pondered if it was a look that he could actually pull off, saying,
I don't know if I look good as a blond, but but I appreciate that, and I do. Yeah. Hopefully I get to do it, but I don't know.
If Constantine 2 were to move forward and get into production, it sounds like Keanu Reeves will still be going with his natural raven-haired look – though the actor has previously spoken about having the film be more loyal to the comics in a different way. Last November, he spoke about Constantine being a movie that was developed to get a PG-13 rating and ended up being slapped with an R from the MPA; the sequel will be made with an R rating in mind from the jump.
While we continue to wait for more updates about the development of Constantine 2, Keanu Reeves fans can enjoy some of the best work of the actor's career by heading to the local cinema and taking in the epic action of John Wick: Chapter 4. And to learn about all of the other titles that are coming to the big screen this year, scope out our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.
