Hasitha Fernando looks at the story behind 2005’s comic book adaptation Constantine starring Keanu Reeves as DC’s Hellblazer…
Constantine debuted at a time when comic book movies and the genre as a whole was still getting to where it is today. But even in the present context the film still remains a unique entry in terms of its bold stylistic choices and storytelling elements. As the movie celebrates its 20th anniversary we look back at the behind-the-scenes story and what went on during the making of the film…
The property was stuck in development hell for the longest time
John Constantine was introduced in the pages of The Saga of Swamp Thing (vol.2) #37 published in June 1985 by DC comics. The cynical occult detective functioned as a supporting character in the first few comic book issues but come January 1988 Constantine made his official solo debut with Hellblazer. The IP proved to be one of DC Vertigo’s most successful, longest-running titles and the only publication to endure from the imprint since its launch.
Lauren Shuler Donner, who have been responsible for producing the Fox X-Men movies, took a stab at developing the property in 1997. Famed music video director Paul Hunter was attached to the project briefly in 1999 but he was eventually replaced by The Cell helmer Tarsem Singh in 2001. Warner Bros. was hoping to pair Singh’s dark visual sensibilities with Nicolas Cage’s unhinged madness but sadly, it was not to be. Singh wasn’t too keen on having Cage as his lead and departed the project resulting in a flurry of lawsuits being exchanged between Singh and the studio. But in 2002, the involvement of Keanu Reeves breathed new life into the once stalled project.
Allan Moore refused to be associated with the film
Allan Moore is the uber-talented yet fabulously eccentric author behind some of the most seminal comic books and graphic novels of all time. His efforts include the like of Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing and Batman: The Killing Joke. Moore had been consistently disappointed by the movie adaptations of his comics – From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – that he wanted nothing to do with Constantine. Instead he instructed that his due royalties be distributed amongst the other co-creators of the character.
The movie altered several aspects of the source material to attract financiers
In the comics John Constantine was a hard drinking, chain smoking occult practitioner from Liverpool, England that was designed to resemble the blond musician Sting. But when it came to its film adaptation Constantine was portrayed as a dark haired American hailing from Los Angeles, California. This change was widely believed to have happened in order to accommodate the flick’s lead star Keanu Reeves, but in reality it was a strategic move to attract the attention of financiers and it certainly worked.
The movie’s story also incorporated elements of Garth Ennis’ “Dangerous Habits” story arc as well as some details from the Original Sin trade paperback. The film’s title was also altered from Hellblazer in order to avoid any possible confusion with Clive Barker’s Hellraiser flicks and Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy franchise.
The unique look of hell was inspired by nuclear test footage
When it came to the look of hell director Francis Lawrence opted to go for a different look and the final design was a result of multiple discussions amongst himself, the visual effects supervisor and production designer. The trio wanted to design hell as a dark mirror image of present day Los Angeles and therefore looked at nuclear test footage from the 1940s for inspiration. In the end hell in Constantine, is depicted as Los Angeles caught in the eternal shockwave of a nuclear blast where nothing really gets obliterated.
Lucifer’s character design was initially quite different
To say Peter Stormare made the character of Lucifer his own would be a massive understatement. The talented actor’s take on the ultimate baddie still remains one of the most talked about and memorable aspects of the film. During an interview with The A.V Club published on 28th August 2017, Stormare revealed that it was he who came up with his own costume design for Lucifer – replete with the off-white linen suit and tar dripping from his feet. He further stated that the director and producers initially wanted the character to have “leather trousers, bare-chested…a dog collar with spikes” and tattoos over his face and chest. Being a devout Christian himself in real life, Stormare accepted the role because he was given carte blanche to interpret the character and show what he believed the Devil to be like.
Rachel Weisz wished the movie had more romantic elements
From the get-go director Francis Lawrence did not want have any romantic elements in Constantine, which was a more dark fantasy horror flick. However, Rachel Weisz admitted during an interview that she wanted to get kissed by her dashing co-star Keanu Reeves and there were a few instances it felt that a kiss seemed inevitable, like when they were shooting the long scene on the rooftop. The actress elaborated during an interview saying, “It just, like, had a little noir feeling to it. I thought that finally I was going to get kissed, but it was not to be.”
Shia LaBeouf was recommended by Will Smith for the project
Shia LaBeouf was an up-and-coming talent two decades back, having small supporting roles in the likes of Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and I, Robot. And it was his involvement with the latter effort where he co-starred opposite Will Smith that landed him the gig on Constantine. This was because Akiva Goldsman, the producer and screenwriter of I, Robot also worked in the same capacity in Constantine and Will Smith had nothing but good things to say about LaBeouf to Goldsman and personally recommended the young actor for his role as Chas Kramer in Constantine.
Box-office success, mixed reviews and the birth of a cult classic
Made on a production budget of $70 million Constantine went on to make a more than respectable $230.9 million at the worldwide box office. But when it came to its critical reception it received somewhat of a mixed response from film critics. As of writing, Constantine possesses a 46% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 5.5/10. However, that is not to say that the effort didn’t have its share of admirers. Richard Corliss of Time magazine was certainly a fan calling the movie, “a one-of-a-kind hybrid: a theological noir action film”. Ella Taylor of LA Weekly also enjoyed the flick writing, “Constantine, which opts in the end for what I can only describe as a kind of supernatural humanism, is not without its spiritual satisfactions.”
Over the years the film has gone on to develop a passionate cult following who have, time and again, advocated for a sequel to be made but its development has been marred by multiple delays with the development of the DCEU, the COVID pandemic and the WGA strikes. But quite recently the film’s lead star Keanu Reeves spoke to Inverse and revealed that he and Francis Lawrence have successfully pitched their vision for the sequel to DC Studios and the project is moving to the scripting phase, which means us fans may finally get our wish granted some time in the near future.
What are your thoughts on Constantine? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
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