Summary
After a very long wait, fans of Keanu Reeves’Constantinemovie got their big news back in 2022 that a sequel was in the works. This summer, several updates starting floating around the web that confirmed not only was the film going to be made but shooting might be ready to get started relatively soon.
This summer, fans got the excellent news that theConstantine 2script is almost complete. Pending, of course, new DCU chiefJames Gunnsigning off on the project. However, despite reports that the sequel might be nearing entering the “shooting” phase of production, so far there haven’t been any teases on just what the plot ofConstantine 2will be.
What Could Be The Plot To Constantine 2?
In the 2005 original, John Constantine’slife is saved from lung cancerbecause he managed to trick the devil and save a life, thereby “cleaning” his soul after an attempted suicide earlier in his life. Because of his good deed, the demon-fighter was bound for heaven instead of hell.
Once Satan (played brilliantly in acameo by Peter Stormare) saw which direction John was headed, he brought his adversary back to life, mainly because he believed that sooner or later Constantine would get himself into trouble again andmight eventually go southonce his life was over.
It was always pretty clear that with an ending like that,Constantine’screators always considered the film a one-off. And considering it’s been 19 years since Keanu Reeves last stepped into the character’s shoes, it mostly has been. But the upside is the next installment can go anywhere with the story. The continuation doesn’t need to pick up any storyline. And that’s how it should be, considering it will be over 20 years between movies.
It’s worth noting that the originalConstantinedidn’t follow any onestoryline from theHellblazercomic books. Instead, the movie combined several aspects of the best issues and made the movie better because of it. However, in this era of storytelling, it seems likely that the film will stick closer to one story or another. That makes it easier to make it the franchise a trilogy, shouldConstantine 2succeed. With that in mind, there are a couple of story ideas that might make the most sense for the next installment.
Constantine in Prison?
While there have been very few hints at what the story for what Constantine 2 contains, there was one update from the people behind the project. Last November, Francis Lawrence said one of the things they want for the film is to have plenty of leeway to go dark. One way to do that is that Lawrence got the go-ahead toaim for an R-rated movie. As more comic book movies take this step, it allows for more latitude in whatever direction they want to move.
One story that would be quite interesting and that could take advantage of the R-rating would be a very popularone from theHellblazercomicsthat sees John Constantine stuck in prison after being arrested and tried for murder. The reason Constantine allows himself to be captured and sent to prison isn’t revealed until they very end of the story, but there’s plenty of action in “Hard Time” before the final reveal.
In “Hard Time” there is a prison revolt and the prisoners begin running the asylum.
While some fans’ might balk at seeing the titular character out of his trenchcoat and not smoking a cigarette every five minutes, there’s a built in way to allow the demon hunter to get into his old garb relative quickly. In “Hard Time”there is a prison revoltand the prisoners begin running the asylum. This could allow John to go and fetch his belongings and allow the character the freedom to fight all sorts of evil beings while still contained in the prison setting.
Constantine the Rockstar?
If a prison setting isn’t to James Gunn’s liking, is it possibleConstantine 2could go in a completely different direction? Another one of themost popularHellblazerstorylinesinvolves John’s old band, Mucous Membrane. The band was not the most popular around, but it did have a kind of cult following. In fact, it’s following in the “Newcastle Calling” books had filmmakers shooting a documentary about the band while simultaneously being haunted by a demon that was slowly driving them insane.
For now, James Gunn isn’t even allowing hints about the movie’s plot.
The added bonus here is that Keanu Reeves is a real-life musician so that he can sell the image of a band leader quite easily. It would also be quite the shift from the man operating entirely under the radar in the first film. Some might find it hard to swallow, especially sinceConstantinenever alluded to him being any kind of musician, but since the band wasn’t mainstream, there’s a built-in rationale for why it wasn’t mentioned.
The truth is that the plot details forConstantine 2arestill very much under wraps. However, if Gunn and company want to follow a known storyline, “Hard Time” and “Newcastle Calling” seem the most likely choices.
