Constantine Director Explains Why It’s Time for an R-Rated Sequel

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 20, 2024 5 Views 6 Min Read
Constantine Director Explains Why It’s Time for an R-Rated Sequel



Summary

  • Fans can expect a long-awaited Constantine sequel with Keanu Reeves and Francis Lawrence diving deep into its R-rating.
  • Lawrence’s desire for an R-rated Constantine 2 stems from holding back mature aspects for a PG-13 rating in the original.
  • Despite no confirmed return of original stars, Constantine 2 is in active development, aiming to cater to the cult following.



For fans who loved the 2005 superhero horror filmConstantine, the long-awaited sequel is in the works. It will bring back everyone’s favorite human, Keanu Reeves, and director Francis Lawrence for another round of the cult classic, and this time, the director wants to go full force into its R-rating. Broadly based on the 1988 DC ComicsHellblazer, created by Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissette, Constantine tells the story of the suicide survivor and demon hunter John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has been to hell and back and whose sole purpose on Earth is to send demons back to where they’ve come from.

Although the movie received mixed reviews when it launched in theaters in February 2005 due to comic book fans who were upset at the adaptation’s deviation from its source material and got a fairly poor rating of only 46% on Rotten Tomatoes, Constantine still amassed a huge cult following. Now, after almost 20 years, the superhero thriller will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a first-ever 4K release set to arrive on February 18, 2025, but before that, the director of both the original and sequel explains why fans have had to wait so long for Constantine 2.


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Constantine Director Promises R-rated Sequel

Speaking with Comicbook recently, Constantine director Francis Lawrence stated that he has been wanting to make a sequel to the movie for the past 20 years. Lawrence, who has directed other films, which include The Hunger Games, I Am Legend, and Water for Elephants, said he set up a meeting to discuss a return to Constantine on its 15th anniversary that then led to a script being worked on. He also touched upon the movie’s cult fan base, which he said was “really exciting to see and very strange”, but he believes now is a good time for the classic to find its footing within its following again.

“The truth is, somewhere around the 15th anniversary or something, we did a Zoom and we were all discussing trying to get it up and going again. And again, we were just more active with it and finally got it past all these hurdles. And so we are now actively working on a script. So it’s really not that it’s just like, ‘Oh yeah, now we think the world is ready for it.’ I certainly think there is a bigger fan base and certainly it’s become a kind of cult classic, which has been really exciting to see and very strange, but it’s something we’ve always loved.”


When Constantine was released, the movie had an R-rating that initially it wasn’t planned to have due to Lawrence following all the rules for a PG-13 rating, which meant that they held back on more mature aspects when in its development process. However, now, the director wants to go all out when creating Constantine 2, saying “‘F–k it, let’s go and do a sequel and really make an R-rated movie. Give us an R, let us make a real R-rated movie.” Lawrence also touches upon why it has taken so long for a sequel to come around, in which he believes that since the movie came out, opinions have changed over the years and people would appreciate it a lot more now.


Constantine had a fantastic lineup of star-stunned actors, which included Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Tilda Swinton, Shia LaBeuf, Peter Stormare, and Gavin Rossdale, but there’s no confirmation if these stars will return in the sequel other than Keanu Reeves. Constantine 2 is currently in active development, but no release or production start date has been revealed as yet. However, the original movie can be watched in all of its 4K Blu-ray splendor on the 20th anniversary of the film’s theatrical release.

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Source:Comicbook

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