Matt Ryan to Reprise ‘Constantine’ Role on ‘Arrow’

TCA 2015: Character central to canceled NBC show gets second life on CW superhero drama

Matt Ryan stars as NBC's "Constantine"
NBC

“Constantine” isn’t quite so dead after all. Matt Ryan will reprise the titular role from the canceled NBC drama on an upcoming episode of “Arrow,” The CW announced Tuesday.

“We are thrilled to have Matt Ryan reprise the role of John Constantine on an upcoming episode of ‘Arrow,’” “Arrow” executive producer Marc Guggenheim said in a statement. “Matt is an incredibly talented actor and his portrayal of this beloved character was always something we admired. The introduction of magic and mysticism on the show this season has provided a truly organic opportunity for us to bring John Constantine to ‘Arrow’ and the CW’s DC universe. It will be a well-deserved tip of the hat to all the ‘Constantine’ fans who were so incredibly supportive of that series.”

NBC canceled “Constantine” after its first 13-episode season, though Warner Bros. Television, which produced the show, searched for a new home.

But for now, Ryan’s appearance on “Arrow” is a one-off.

“It will be a great one-shot episode,” said CW boss Mark Pedowitz onstage during the Television Critics’ Association’s summer press tour.

After the panel, Pedowitz also told reporters that the Constantine episode will feature a dead character being resurrected.

The ratings-challenged “Constantine,” which aired on Friday nights, drew a distressing 0.8 rating /3 share in the 18-49 demographic most important to advertisers.

Stephen Amell stars on “Arrow” as the titular DC Comics superhero, which has seen plenty of crossovers from spin-off “The Flash” and will also feature appearances from characters on The CW’s newest DC adaptation, “Legends of Tomorrow.”

“Arrow” returns for its fourth season October 7 on The CW.

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