Constantine was mildly enjoyed by audiences in North America but overseas it was a massive hit. So because Keanu Reeves wouldn’t mind playing the role again there will now be a sequel. Here’s what the people over at moviehole.net have to say:
Constantine was huge foreign, international, therefore, there is a good financial reason to make a sequel”, producer Lauren Schuler Donner tells the site. “And, I think we really want to do it as a hard R, I mean, really go into the Constantine world and do it even more justice than the movie, even though I thought the movie was true to its core. We have a terrific idea of the world we want to go into, it’s a nice, really terrifying world and Keanu [Reeves] is willing so we should do it!”
The sequel, which original director Francis Lawrence will only produce this time, will be set in a “Latin American country, I’ll say that, a South American country”, says Donner.
I was not a fan of the first Constantine, I rented it and turned it off after the first twenty minutes. But I know a lot of people who loved it. If they have to make a Constantine sequel, this way does sound interesting.
I think Reeves is smart to stick with Constantine. He’ll get paid more and his reputation will survive anything at this point. The guy knows what he’s good at and he’s sticking to his market.
The rated R goal is an interesting move. Funny to hear producers talking about an R rating as a goal, usually it is all about just skimming under that rating. But to work at getting the story darker and bloodier will draw in the gore loving guy market. Also a South American location will be good for the eeriness of the landscapes and the architecture with all of those gothic Catholic touches.
This is one of the few movies where I think the sequel has more potential than the original.
