A sequel to the 2005 supernatural Keanu Reeves film “Constantine” is in the works at Warner Bros., and both Reeves and director Francis Lawrence are expected to return, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Akiva Goldsman is writing the screenplay and will also produce the new film alongside Bad Robot’s J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella serving as producers.
Lawernce’s directorial debut, which made $230 million worldwide, starred Reeves as an exorcist and demonologist brought in to help prove that the death of a detective’s sibling was not a suicide but something more sinister. The original also starred Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LaBeouf and Tilda Swinton, and it was based on a comic book series called “Hellblazer” by Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis.
Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Erwin Stoff will executive produce the new “Constantine” film.
Since 2005, “Constantine” has become something of a cult hit among diehard Keanu Reeves fans, and Goldsman for years has been teasing ideas for a “Constantine” sequel, one that would lean into a hard-R rating. Among his ideas, which he discussed with Collider in 2020, was one in which Constantine tried to identify a prisoner who turns out to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
Reeves will next be seen in “John Wick: Chapter 4” and will star in the Hulu series “Devil in the White City.” He also recently voiced Batman in Warner Bros.’ “DC League of Super-Pets” and reprised his role as Neo in “The Matrix Resurrections.”
Lawrence is currently filming the next “Hunger Games” movie, “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which should arrive next year and is a prequel to the original “Hunger Games” franchise. Lawrence had directed the second, third and fourth films in the franchise with Jennifer Lawrence. He also directed Jennifer Lawrence in 2018’s “Red Sparrow,” and he recently signed on to direct a biopic about the ’90s band Sublime.
Reeves is represented by WME, Sugar23 and Ziffren Brittenham. Lawrence is represented by CAA, 3 Arts and Hansen Jacobsen.
Deadline first reported the news.