Director Frances Lawrence opens up about wanting a hard R-rating for Keanu Reeves' Constantine 2. Constantine is based on the Hellblazer comic book series by Garth Ennis and Jamie Delano. Lawrence directed 2005's Constantine, which starred Reeves as John Constantine, an exorcist and demonologist who helps a police detective prove that her sister's death wasn't a suicide. Reeves shared the screen with Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Peter Stormare, and Tilda Swinton.
While speaking with The Wrap, Constantine 2 director Frances Lawrence discussed his hopes for an R-rated sequel. While talking about the first film, the director notes that the studio wanted a PG-13 movie, but the MPA still gave them an R-rating. According to Lawrence, his "big regret" is not pushing the limits and actually making an R-rated Constantine, which he would have preferred given the film receiving the rating. However, for Constantine 2, the director hopes to embrace the R-rating, making for a sequel that will fully utilize its parameters. Check out Lawrence's comments on an R-rated Constantine 2 below:
"One of the biggest things for me about the first one was we followed, per Warner Bros., the rules to make a PG-13 movie in terms of violence, blood, language, sexuality. But the ratings board gave us a hard R based on their the gray zone of intensity. And my big, big regret was that we have an R-rated movie that’s really a PG-13 movie. And if I was going to have to go have an R, I would have really made an R-rated movie. I would have made it much scarier and much more violent and I would have really made an R-rated movie.
"The idea is this time, at least for me, is to really go at it and make a real R-rated Constantine which is, I think, what people always wanted originally, not the PG-13 version that just happens to get an R."
Why Constantine 2 Should Be Rated R
Constantine was released in 2005 when comic book movies were first gaining popularity at the box office. X-Men was released in 2000, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man dropped in 2002, with a sequel in 2004, all of which were hits at the box office that predate 2008's Iron Man and the start of the MCU. So when Constantine hit theaters, comic book movies showed promise but weren't at the prominence they are today. However, one thing that set Constantine apart was its R-rating, with most other comic book films released around that time, and even today, being rated PG-13.
Constantine features a darker, grittier story with a plot that revolves around suicide. Furthermore, the film's protagonist is a chain smoker with cancer who tends to hate the world but utilizes his knowledge of the occult to help win back God's favor so that he isn't banished to hell upon his death due to a past suicide attempt. With that as the setup, the film already embraced many ideas that family-friendly comic book-based movies would shy away from, making Constantine's R-rating seem appropriate, even if it wasn't the studio's original intention.
For Constantine 2, Lawrence promises to embrace the R-rating, making an even darker and more violent sequel. With the world the character dwells in and the themes surrounding him, an R-rated film seems like the best option. Anything less would likely see the character and source material watered down. And while the John Constantine character has been proven to work in more family-friendly fare, like Legends of Tomorrow, a darker sequel would work better for the material, and it's likely what fans of the comics and the first film want. Constantine 2 is still in the early stages of development, but with Lawrence already planning to push for an R-rating, audiences have plenty to be excited about.
Source: The Wrap
