Fans have been clamoring for years to see Keanu Reeves in a comic book film project and after nearly two decades, the Hollywood icon is making his way back to the DC Universe to reprise his role as occult detective John Constantine. The 2005 film initially failed to hit the mark with fans and critics, only earning over $230 million at the global box office.
Over the years, however, folks have grown to appreciate Keanu's take on the character and they've been demanding Warner Bros. to green-light a sequel for the longest time. Last year, the fandom's plea was finally granted as it was officially confirmed that Constantine 2 is happening.
But it turns out that it took a lot of persuading for the studio to agree to do the project and apparently, not even Keanu himself was able to convince them initially. In an interview with Total Film (via Slashfilm), the 58-year-old star revealed that the project has constantly been turned down by WB until last year.
"I don't know if it was unfinished business but it was definitely a role that I loved. And I thought that Francis Lawrence, the director, did such amazing work. I loved playing that character, and I really enjoyed the film. I was like, [adopts Oliver Twist voice] 'Can I please have some more?'"
Keanu added: "I kept asking almost every year. I'd be like, 'Can I please?' [and] they'd be like, 'No, no!'"
In the end, the actor expressed his excitement for his DC return, saying he'll do whatever it takes to get the ball rolling. "So it's exciting. It's almost like an open playground that we can hopefully cook something up and play in, and I guess get out of the playground and prepare a meal. But I'm looking forward to it, and hopefully it can happen. You don't know how these things go. But I'm definitely going to try my darndest to try and realize that dream."
Also Read: Constantine 2 Director Determined to Make Keanu Reeves Sequel R-Rated
With James Gunn and Peter Safran now in charge of DC's film slate, it'll be interesting to see if Constantine 2 will join the chopping block and I'm assuming that's what Keanu was alluding to when he said that he's going to do everything in his power to make the sequel a reality.
Meanwhile, the original Constantine movie is available to stream on HBO Max.
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