16 years after Keanu Reeves first brought the iconic comic book character John Constantine to life, the actor revealed he still wants to make a sequel.
The 57-year-old actor starred in the 2005 comic book adaptation Constantine, leading a cast that included Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale and a young Shia LaBeouf.
Reeves was promoting The Matrix Resurrections on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, when he was asked if there are other characters he wanted to revive, when he brought up John Constantine.
Colbert mentioned that in The Matrix Resurrections and his last film, the long-awaited sequel Bill & Ted Face the Music, the actor was bringing back some of his beloved characters.
The talk show host asked if there are, ‘any characters you would like to play again that no one is asking you to,’ adding that once he says the character, ‘someone will then ask you to.’
Reeves first said, ‘That’s not true. That’s not true,’ and when Colbert added, ‘Who is not going to want Keanu Reeves to be in another Keanu Reeves movie?’
‘Because it happens. I would love to play John Constantine again from the Constantine film,’ Reeves said, with Colbert adding it was a ‘great film.’
Colbert then asked, ‘If you are saying right now that if you are willing to play John Constantine again, on national television, with the prospect that Stephen Colbert might have a guest-starring role, that no one will make that movie?’
Reeves responded, rather morosely, ‘I’ve tried. I’ve tried, Stephen,’ as the audience responded with a collective, ‘Awww.’
Colbert added he loved the film as well, and if he did get to make it, he wanted to play a, ‘reluctant demon,’ which Reeves liked the sound of.
The talk show host added it would be a ‘small part’ of a demon who, ‘doesn’t want to mess with John Constantine, but it’s his nature.’
Reeves added, ‘That sounds awesome,’ regarding the host’s potential role in the prospective sequel.
The 2005 Constantine film is based off the Hellblazer comics and the John Constantine character created by Alan Moore, Rick Veitch, Steve Bissette and John Totleben, who first appeared in The Saga of Swamp Thing #37 in June 1985.
The character is an exorcist and occult expert who has the rare ability to see half-angels and half-demons on Earth for who they really are.
The movie followed John as he helps a policewoman (Weisz) prove her sister’s death was not a suicide, but supernatural.
The film earned $75.9 million domestic and $230.8 million worldwide from a $100 million budget, though a sequel never materialized.
However, the John Constantine character was brought back on the small screen with the NBC series Constantine, starring Matt Ryan as the title character, though it only lasted for one 13-episode season.
Surprisingly, though, Ryan was brought back as John Constantine for The CW’s Arrow, and he has appeared in multiple episodes of Arrow and other ‘Arrowverse’ shows throughout the years.
