The CW has been building and expanding its DC Comics-inspired universe ever since Arrow debuted on the network in 2012. Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) was introduced on Arrow before spinning off into his own series in The Flash; then Legends of Tomorrow was spun off utilizing characters from both Arrow and The Flash - as well as certain new heroes such as Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill). However, perhaps the most interesting case is Supergirl relocating to The CW for its second season after initially debuting on CBS; now, the Girl of Steel is an official member of the DC TV universe.

Another character officially inducted into canon is Matt Ryan's John Constantine, who originally appeared in the NBC series, Constantine, although it only ran for one season before being cancelled by the network. Now, The CW is reviving Constantine - sort of.

During The CW's executive session at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, network head Mark Pedowitz announced Ryan will reprise his role as John Constantine in an animated series that will debut on the network's digital content platform, CW Seed. Additionally, The CW released a poster and key art for the Constantine animated series, take a look:

Following (and even prior to) Constantine's cancellation at NBC, fans of the series campaigned for other networks to pick it up, particularly The CW given its number of DC Comics related shows - which includes iZombie, a series based on the Vertigo comic of the same name. Although The CW didn't revive Constantine in the manner fans were hoping, Ryan did appear in Arrow season 4, introduced as someone Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) met on Lian Yu then called in a favor with to help return Sara Lance's (Caity Lotz) soul.

However, rather than return as a live-action series, Constantine will now live on as one of CW Seed's animated DC Comics series - joining the likes of Vixen and The Ray. It's unclear as of now whether The CW's Constantine will be a continuation of NBC's show or a soft-reboot including what little mythology was established in John Constantine's brief appearance on Arrow.

Still, considering how well liked Ryan was in his portrayal of Constantine - the actor has since voiced the character in the upcoming Justice League Dark animated movie - fans may be happy to see him reprise the role again, no matter the format of the series. Plus, with Ryan staying within The CW family for the Constantine animated series, perhaps it leaves the door open for the character to return as a guest star in the live-action portion of the universe. But, that remains to be seen.

Next: Constantine Season 1 Now Available on CW Seed

We’ll keep you updated on Constantine as more information becomes available.

Source: The CW