Nicolas Cage almost starred in Constantine instead of Keanu Reeves

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Nicolas Cage and Keanu Reeves
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Nicolas Cage almost starred in a film adaptation of 2005's Constantine, based on the Hellblazer comic books, before Keanu Reeves eventually nabbed the role.

In an interview with DiscussingFilm, director Francis Lawrence revealed that the studio initially had a different director and actor in mind.

"Actually, Keanu was already on before I was," Lawrence explained. "So this was a case where it had been in development for a while, I think there was even another director before me. I think Tarsem [Singh] was going to do it at one point before me with Nicolas Cage or something and then that fell apart. Then they got Keanu to play it."

A Tarsem Singh/Nicolas Cage version of Constantine could've been horror chaos – but in the best way. Singh is perhaps best known for directing 2000's The Cell, a visually stunning blood feast that focuses on the mind of a serial killer (and was unappreciated in its heyday). 

While Reeves was coming off of The Matrix at the time of Constantine's filming, Cage already had a plethora of both action and supernatural films under his belt, playing everything from a vampire to an army sergeant, so the potential Constantine casting makes sense. He would go on to make his first comic book film in 2007 with the pre-MCU Ghost Rider directed by Mark Steven Johnson, who also helmed the Ben Affleck-led pre-MCU Daredevil.

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

Lauren Milici
Lauren Milici
Senior Entertainment Writer

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.