Keanu Reeves has certainly made a name for himself as a huge action star thanks largely to the ongoing John Wick series. Nicknamed "The Nicest Guy In Hollywood", Reeves' acting career stems as far back as the early 1980s, and he has starred in many cult classics such as The Matrix films, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, and of course the first Constantine film.
Reeves' success speaks for itself, with the actor having won Best Fight and Best Male Performance for The Matrix, and Action Movie Star of the Year for The Matrix Reloaded at the Taurus World Stunt Awards.
While Reeves is mostly known for his work in The Matrix Trilogy and most recently the John Wick films, one of his most anticipated films to date has been a sequel to 2005's Constantine, which has finally been confirmed by Warner Brothers executives with Keanu Reeves returning to reprise his role as John Constantine.
Keanu And Constantine Fans Were Mostly Thrilled At The News
Deadline was the first to confirm that the sequel would be happening, with the comments on their Twitter post blowing up. Twitter users were elated at the news, with many expressing how happy they were and that they had been waiting for years for a Constantine sequel to finally be announced.
Twitter user @vnbvrnt commented "Rachel Weisz clear [your] schedule", as Weisz played alongside Keanu Reeves in the first Constantine film.
Poster @Drolem4 continued to echo the excitement of many, replying to Deadline's original post with "That's great news! Can't wait to watch this movie and hopefully see Constantine in Zack Snyder's Justice League 2."
While the majority of the reactions to Reeves' return to the role have been overwhelmingly positive, a few fans are less than thrilled at the idea of the reprisal. Some were upset that the anticipated Batgirl film was canceled, but somehow Constantine got the green light.
Others were frustrated at JJ Abrams' involvement in the upcoming film, with @EaSolinas lamenting "Shame about JJ Abrams involvement though...", with some concerned about the writing team behind the film, citing Akiva Goldman's ties to films such as Batman and Robin.
Many fans of Matt Ryan, the actor who has most recently played Constantine in many television adaptations of the character, were concerned about what this would mean for his portrayal of the character.
Ryan's version of Constantine has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to his many appearances on CW's DC shows.
Keanu Has Been Plenty Busy Since The First Constantine
Although fans and movie enthusiasts alike have been waiting quite some time for another Constantine film, they have been able to enjoy an extensive body of work the actor has released in the meantime.
According to IMDb, Reeves has released several films since the release of Constantine, with very few breaks in between. He starred in the award-winning The Day the Earth Stood Still, and countless action films like 47 Ronin, the many John Wick films, as well as A Scanner Darkly, an animated crime comedy.
Keanu Reeves has also played some surprising roles, such as Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4, Sage in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and Batman in DC League of Super-Pets alongside Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.
Keanu Reeves also got to play a major part in video game Cyberpunk 2077 as Johnny Silverhand, a terrorist whose construct takes over the main protagonist's mind and body and even reprised his role as Neo for the fourth installment of The Matrix.
Reeves has also expressed an interest in playing an older Batman if the opportunity presents itself. This wouldn't be the first time Keanu has expressed interest in playing a superhero-type role, having shown interest in playing Wolverine in the past.
What Does This Mean For The Constantine Show?
In light of the news that Keanu Reeves will be returning for a Constantine sequel, fans have wondered what will become of the Constantine show JJ Abrams announced he would be working on with HBO Max.
Fans of the franchise have become accustomed to Welsh actor Matt Ryan playing the titular role thanks to his many appearances in CW shows like Arrow and The Flash, voice acting the character in many animated adaptations, and even starring in his own short-lived Constantine show.
With the news of Keanu Reeves returning to the role alongside JJ Abrams, and the many casualties that DC has faced thanks to the HBO Max and Discovery + merger, it is not surprising that the original reboot fans were promised has been canceled as part of a major internal shift within the companies.
While fans are disappointed that the original project has been shelved, it appears that Abrams, with the help of WB productions, is looking to see if they can place it on another streaming service.
With the popularity of shows like Supernatural and Teen Wolf, there is hope that the original project will live on elsewhere, and that fans will have the opportunity to enjoy both Keanu Reeves as Constantine on the big screen, as well as another version of the character on the small screen.