A sequel to Constantine, the 2005 Keanu Reeves film, still isn't greenlit. Its director thinks the odds just got better. After the news that James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as co-heads of DC Studios, Francis Lawrence told Collider he has renewed hope for Constantine 2, Variety reports.
Quick answer
Constantine 2 has no release date and no green light. Director Francis Lawrence says a script exists and that he, Keanu Reeves, writer Akiva Goldsman and producer J.J. Abrams all want to make it. He says DC's previous leadership was an obstacle, and that the exit of James Gunn and Peter Safran gives the project a new opening. The decision now sits with Paramount, Warner and whoever runs DC next. This update is single-sourced: Variety, citing Lawrence's interview with Collider.
What Lawrence said
Per Variety's write-up of the interview:
- The team has been trying to make the sequel for more than 20 years. They have an idea and a script.
- The people who were running DC were an impediment to getting it made. Lawrence was careful to say he doesn't want anyone to lose their job over it.
- The holdup was never him, Reeves or Goldsman. All of them, plus Abrams, want to do it.
- If DC wants a different Constantine for its shared universe, he thinks the two versions could exist side by side.
The 20-year road
The original film, based on DC's Hellblazer comics, came out in 2005. The sequel has been talked about ever since. The most concrete step came in February 2025, when Reeves told Inverse that the team had put a story together, pitched it to DC Studios and been told to go ahead and try a script. Goldsman was reported to be writing, with Abrams among the producers.
Lawrence's comments confirm there's now a script in hand. He's also saying plainly that DC's leadership was what stood in the way.
What has to happen next
Someone has to say yes. In Lawrence's telling, that means the people at Paramount, Warner and the next DC leadership agreeing to a sequel to this version of the character. None of that has happened, and DC hasn't named Gunn and Safran's successors in the reports we've seen.
Lawrence is busy in the meantime: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens November 20. Until a studio confirms the sequel, treat any release date you see online as a guess.
Other long-gestating franchise films are further along. The Hunt for Gollum has a December 2027 date, and the next James Bond is in casting. On the corporate side, see our explainer on the HBO Max and Paramount+ bundle.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Constantine 2 happening?
A: Not officially. Director Francis Lawrence says a script exists and the team wants to make it, but no studio has greenlit it.
Q: Does Constantine 2 have a release date?
A: No. There's no release date and no production start date.
Q: Is Keanu Reeves returning for Constantine 2?
A: Reeves wants to. He has said he's been trying to get the sequel made for over a decade, but nothing is official.
Q: Who is writing Constantine 2?
A: Akiva Goldsman was reported to be writing the script, with J.J. Abrams among the producers.
Q: Why is the director more hopeful now?
A: James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as co-heads of DC Studios. Lawrence says the previous leadership was an obstacle to the sequel.