Movies

‘Constantine’ Sequel ‘Closer Than Ever’ Says Director

BBG News

Francis Lawrence has insisted Constantine 2 is “closer than ever.”

The 53-year-old director recently shared his intentions to collaborate again with Keanu Reeves on a follow-up to the 2005 superhero horror film, which had been halted for quite some time.

As a follower, I’m sharing an exciting update from the team: “We’re getting closer than ever before to making a sequel, which is fantastic news! Our producer, Akiva Goldsman, Keanu, and I can hardly contain our excitement about it.

The original film saw Reeves star as the supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine.

For years, there have been discussions about a sequel, but Lawrence has recently verified that he and his group have at last solved the narrative puzzle.

He shared: “We’ve come up with an excellent concept. We’ve been reviewing various comics spanning many years and considering different aspects.

In essence, what I’m trying to convey is that a significant portion of the content seems to originate from our collective passion for the character and the world. Over the past two decades, these elements have been subconsciously brewing in our minds as we pondered on ideas, stories, and characters we adore.

Late last year, the director revealed they were “now actively working on a script.”

In another conversation with the same media source, he stated: “It’s not just about feeling that the world is suddenly ready for it. I believe there’s a larger fan base, and it has indeed gained cult classic status, which is both thrilling to witness and somewhat bizarre. However, it’s something we’ve always cherished. Now, we’re actively crafting a script for it.

For several years, Lawrence has entertained the notion of a follow-up, but it wasn’t until 2020 that momentum truly picked up for this project.

He mentioned that approximately during their 15th anniversary, they had a meeting via Zoom where everyone was considering restarting the project. Additionally, they became more engaged with it and eventually overcame all the obstacles to move forward.

Previously, Lawrence acknowledged that the movie’s production was held back because of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. In simpler terms, he confessed that the film’s advancement was slowed down as a result of the WGA strike.

Speaking to GameSpot, he said: “So Constantine 2 got obviously held up by the writers’ strike.”

Keanu, Akiva Goldsman, and I have been discussing potential storylines for a possible sequel to ‘Constantine’. We’ve been brainstorming ideas, and while the script hasn’t been written yet, we’re optimistic about moving forward with ‘Constantine 2’. Our aim is to create an authentic R-rated version of this story.

The Biggest DC Movie Bombs

1. Black Adam

Initial Budget Estimate: $260 million
Total Earnings: $393 million

Spending almost double the initial budget estimate might not seem too bad, but it’s essential to factor in the significant marketing costs for a tentpole movie like Black Adam. These days, promotional expenses can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. The exact financial performance of the film was subject to debate, with some industry analysts estimating that Warner Bros. could lose around $100 million, while others suggested that Black Adam might still yield a $50 million profit. Despite the varying opinions on the specific numbers, it’s clear that the movie did not meet expectations to secure a sequel, given the post-credits scene it had promised.

2. The Flash

Initial Budget: $300 million
Total Earnings: $268 million
Following the release of Black Adam, The Flash hit the big screen with comparable outcomes: A hefty price tag and less than impressive returns on investment, despite numerous appearances from a rich legacy of DC films and series, and the anticipation that it would lay the groundwork for the new DC Universe. This development halted another prospective franchise in its tracks.

Changes made include:
– Changed “Reported Budget” to “Initial Budget” for better clarity.
– Changed “Box Office Gross” to “Total Earnings” for better clarity.
– Rewrote the sentence to provide a clearer and smoother flow.

3. Green Lantern

Announced Budget: $200 million
Total Earnings at the Box Office: $220 million
For the past 12 years, Green Lantern has essentially been associated with flops at the box office. Even its lead actor, Ryan Reynolds, has started to poke fun at it in his own movies such as the Deadpool series. This isn’t usually a good indicator.

4. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

In contrast to earlier predictions, the sequel “Fury of the Gods” underperformed at the box office compared to the original “Shazam!”, earning only about half of its worldwide earnings despite having a larger budget. This might indicate that Shazam may not be reprised in the new DC Universe overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran.

5. Catwoman

Instead of creating another film featuring Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman from “Batman Returns,” Warner Bros. opted to produce an entirely different movie centering around a freshly minted feline heroine. Unfortunately, this new production, starring Halle Berry, didn’t fare well, both in terms of critical acclaim and box office success. Purr.

6. Supergirl

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Superman franchise was groundbreaking for comic-book movies. However, its box office performance declined rapidly. By the time they made their first spinoff in 1984 with Supergirl, it was already the start of the end. The movie only grossed approximately $15 million at the box office, which is far from impressive for a superhero film. Unfortunately, Supergirl never received a sequel or another major screen appearance – that is, until 2023’s The Flash.

7. Jonah Hex

Projected Budget: $47 million
Total Box Office Earnings: $11 million
This troubled DC adaptation seems like it was cursed from the start. The initial directors backed out before filming even started, and their successors were replaced during an extensive series of reshoots. These reshoots were quite remarkable considering that the final film ran for just 80 minutes. Astonishingly, actor Josh Brolin claimed they shot over 66 pages of script in less than two weeks during these reshoots.

8. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Earnings Analysis: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Paragraph 1: The reported budget for this film was $6 million.

Paragraph 2: At the box office, it earned $5.6 million.

Paragraph 3: If you’re tempted to link a movie’s financial success with its quality, consider the tale of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. This film is often hailed as one of the best Batman movies by die-hard fans, ranking #2 on ScreenCrush’s own Batman movie rankings. However, it generated only a small fraction of what less impressive DC films have brought in. It’s speculated that Warner Bros. shifted the film from home video to theaters at the last minute, and even if this isn’t true, the film was essentially a cinema adaptation of a TV series that viewers could watch for free five days a week at home.

9. Steel

The budget for the superhero movie “Steel” featuring Shaquille O’Neal was only around $19.8 million, which proved beneficial since it managed to earn merely about 10% of that amount at the box office. Compared to “Batman & Robin”, 1997 appears to have been a challenging period for the superhero film genre.

Or:

The budget for the 1997 movie “Steel” starring Shaquille O’Neal was a modest $19.8 million, and it unfortunately only brought in about 10% of that at the box office. This was particularly true when compared to “Batman & Robin”, making 1997 seem like a difficult time for superhero films.

10. The Return of Swamp Thing

Initial Budget: $3 million
Total Earnings at Box Office: $274,928

After a span of seven years, the sequel to Wes Craven’s ‘Swamp Thing’ was finally produced. However, what emerged was not the gritty horror film initially planned, but rather a cheesy, over-the-top spectacle. Unfortunately, ‘Return of Swamp Thing’ barely managed to gross a quarter of a million dollars in theaters. Although there have been several TV series featuring ‘Swamp Thing’, he hasn’t returned to the big screen since then.

Original Budget: $3 million
Theater Earnings: $274,928

After a wait of seven years, the sequel to Wes Craven’s ‘Swamp Thing’ was finally produced. Instead of the intended gritty horror film, what was released was a campy, low-budget production. Despite this, ‘Return of Swamp Thing’ only earned a quarter of a million dollars in theaters. Since then, there have been TV series based on ‘Swamp Thing’, but he has not returned to cinemas.

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2025-02-13 21:25

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