Keanu Reeves to return for Constantine sequel

Keanu Reeves is returning as demonologist John Constantine in a sequel to Francis Lawrence's 2005 thriller.

According to Deadline, Francis Lawrence will return to direct from a screenplay penned by Akiva Goldsman (Cinderella Man, I Am Legend, A Beautiful Mind). Goldsman will also produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella under the Bad Robot banner.

The original Constantine is based on the DC character who first made an appearance in Swamp Thing issue no. 37 before getting a comic book series of his own, titled Hellblazer, and would also go on to make an appearance in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. The cast also included Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Gavin Rossdale, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Stormare, Francis Guinan, and Jose Zuniga. The film pulled in over $200m at the global box office, making it a modest hit against a budget of $70m. But despite its success, a sequel never came. Luckily, Reeves is back in action as the exorcist who decides to save his soul by defeating demons and keeping them in hell where they belong.

Other live-action depictions of John Constantine have popped up over the years, with Matt Ryan starring as the titular hero in a short-lived TV series and then going on to reprise the role in the now defunct Arrowverse. The character of John Constantine was recently reimagined as Johanna Constantine in Netflix's The Sandman, played by Doctor Who's Jenna Coleman.

For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2022 and beyond.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.