‘Constantine 2’ Is Still Alive at DC Studios, and Keanu Reeves Fans Have Reason to Keep Hoping
Some movie sequels take a few years to arrive. Others spend close to two decades in limbo, kept alive by fan devotion and the occasional hopeful update. ‘Constantine 2’ belongs firmly in the second category, and it remains one of the most talked-about maybes in comic book cinema.
The reason is simple: the original film has aged far better than its first reception suggested. When ‘Constantine’ arrived in 2005, it opened to mixed reviews and a box office that didn’t quite match the ambitions behind it. Yet over the years it picked up a loyal following through home video, streaming and cable reruns.
Now there’s a fresh sign that the sequel hasn’t been forgotten. A new Deadline report indicates that ‘Constantine 2’ is still in development at DC Studios. The project has no release date and hasn’t been greenlit for production, but the latest word suggests the door remains open for Keanu Reeves to step back into John Constantine’s trench coat.
The 2005 film, directed by Francis Lawrence in his feature debut, grossed roughly $230 million worldwide on a budget of around $100 million. That was decent, but critics were divided, and fans of the comics took issue with how far the movie strayed from the source material. Over time, though, its dark take on angels, demons and a chain-smoking occult detective found a devoted audience.
Lawrence has said he’s pleased by that cult status. Speaking at a 15th anniversary panel, the director said a sequel would be best as a really dark, scary version of the story. Producer Akiva Goldsman added that the team had long wanted to make a hard-R follow-up.
The modern push began in September 2022, when Deadline first reported that Reeves would return, with Lawrence back in the director’s chair. Goldsman was set to write the screenplay and produce through his Weed Road Pictures banner alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella of Bad Robot. Fans were thrilled, but the excitement didn’t last long.
When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled the first slate for the new DC Universe, ‘Constantine 2’ wasn’t on it, sparking cancellation rumors. Warner Bros. told Entertainment Weekly the sequel was still moving forward, and Reeves said he had spoken with Gunn about it. Lawrence later noted that the Hollywood strikes had slowed things down.
In early 2025, Reeves told Inverse that he and Lawrence had finally put a story together and pitched it to DC Studios, which gave the go-ahead to write a script. He added that the film would be set in the same world as the original and that Constantine would be tortured even more. That was the clearest sign of progress in years.
The film is reportedly being treated as an Elseworlds project, outside the main DCU continuity and alongside titles like ‘The Batman’ and ‘Joker’. An early draft was reportedly finished in fall 2024, and development continued into 2025 after DC approved the story. Still, when Gunn appeared on the ‘BobaTalks’ podcast in October 2025, he said he’d discussed the movie with Reeves on and off but hadn’t yet read a script.
The biggest obstacles are practical ones. There’s no confirmed release date, no official trailer, and the project remains at the script stage. Reports also note that the screenplay has gone through multiple iterations, something Reeves has acknowledged publicly.
The film’s R-rated ambitions could add another wrinkle. A darker, more violent approach is exactly what Lawrence and Goldsman have described wanting, but it can complicate budgeting and marketing. Even so, superhero cinema has grown enormously since 2005, and Reeves’ popularity has only increased.
For many viewers, Reeves simply is John Constantine. He has campaigned for a return to the role for years, and has said he loved playing the character and working with Lawrence. That enthusiasm has kept hope alive even through the quietest stretches.
It also helps that the character has endured in other forms. The occult detective has appeared in comics and television, but nothing has matched the cult appeal of the 2005 film. The idea of seeing Reeves return, older and wearier, has an obvious pull.
Until a script lands and a studio formally greenlights production, ‘Constantine 2’ will remain a story of patience. But as long as DC Studios keeps it in development, fans have a reason to believe the sequel might finally happen.
What kind of ‘Constantine 2’ would you most like to see?
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