A new live-action Constantine film from J.J. Abrams is reportedly in the works. The popular DC Comics character previously appeared on the big screen in 2005's Constantine, which starred Keanu Reeves as the occult detective. NBC later created a Constantine television series starring Matt Ryan, but it was canceled after one season. Ryan's iteration of the character managed to live on, however, through the CW's Arrowverse. After first appearing on the flagship show Arrow, Ryan joined Legends of Tomorrow as a recurring character in season 3 before becoming a permanent member of the team in season 4. Ryan has also voiced Constantine for several animated DC projects, with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War being the most recent.
There are numerous DC projects in the works, both for the DC Extended Universe and beyond. In fact, DC almost seems to have more things in development than Marvel, its biggest competitor. Beyond the plethora of DCEU movies on the way (including Matt Reeves' The Batman and James Gunn's The Suicide Squad), the Arrowverse continues to grow over on the CW, with Superman & Lois set to be the newest show arriving in 2021. Plus, DC has a foothold in both DC Universe and HBO Max, two streaming services that cater to dedicated fans.
According to The Direct, Warner Bros. is working on developing a new live-action Constantine, with Abrams attached as a producer alongside his production company Bad Robot. It isn't clear if Reeves will once again step into the role, or if it'll be a complete reboot.
While The Direct is a relatively new site, and therefore its reliability isn't completely clear, it's worth noting that this report makes sense when considering Abrams' other developing projects. As part of his WarnerMedia deal, Abrams is creating a Justice League Dark television series. The Direct mentions this new Constantine would have a similar tone and style to Justice League Dark, further supporting their connection. After all, Constantine is a vital member of the Justice League Dark team, which specializes in darker, mystical threats.
Again, this doesn't entirely mean Constantine is a done deal, but it does seem likely that it's in the works. Some more concrete information might arrive with DC FanDome, which is the virtual fan event taking place in August. That convention will reportedly have a lot of major updates about future DC projects and would be the perfect venue for a new movie announcement. Of course, this is all speculation; odds are, Warner Bros. will officially announce Constantine when the time is right.
Source: The Direct