Keanu Reeves' DC Movie Return Becomes More Unlikely After New Update

Published Nov 5, 2026, 3:13 PM EST Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." DC Studios continues to develop new projects based on its deep well of characters, and a new update makes Keanu Reeves' return as a DC character more unlikely. Reeves is one of the world's most recognizable movie stars, which is to be expected, given how the actor's list of successful projects includes major franchises like John Wick and The Matrix. As a result of his popularity, Reeves is a popular fancast for multiple superhero roles. Right now is a fertile period for DC castings, given that DC Studios is hard at work at bringing the new DCU to life. The franchise, spearheaded by co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, has taken the bulk of the studio's focus, particularly when it comes to live-action projects. However, DC's slate of releases will not be solely made up of DCU movies and TV shows going forward. Instead, the franchise will keep making projects as Elseworlds releases, which means they exist outside the canon of Gunn's DCU, be it as standalone releases, or as part of another DC universe, such as Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise, which features movies and one TV show so far. This is where Reeves comes in, as the actor is one of the creatives who have been developing a sequel to 2005's Constantine movie, where Reeves played the hellblazer John Constantine, for years now. However, there has been a new report related to the character's future at DC Studios, and this latest Constantine update makes it seem like Reeves' plan to return as the hero might not come to fruition. DC Studios' New Constantine Movie Might Mean Keanu Reeves' Sequel Is Dead Deadline has reported that DC Studios is currently in early development on a new movie centered on John Constantine, with the writer-director of the upcoming Evil Dead Wrath, Francis Galluppi, attached to write the script for the project. At the time of writing, no story details have been revealed. As far as Deadline is aware, there are no other names attached to the project thus far, with no actor in sight to play this version of Constantine. What the report did not clarify is whether the new Constantine movie will be part of Gunn's DCU, which is the most likely scenario, or not. Scratch & Peek Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible. Either way, the fact that DC has put a John Constantine movie in development likely means that the studio is not moving forward with Reeves' Constantine 2. While, in theory, DC could have a Constantine in the DCU through the new movie and Reeves' version in an Elseworlds franchise, John is not as popular a character as someone like Batman, who will exist in The Batman universe and the DCU, to risk confusing viewers with parallel projects. Additionally, there is the matter that Reeves' Constantine only grossed $230.9 million on a reported budget of $100 million, so a sequel was never a sure deal. DC Studios Is Establishing A Supernatural Trend DC Studios' slate of projects already featured a supernatural movie in the DCU Chapter One: James Mangold's Swamp Thing. If this new Constantine movie that is being penned by Galluppi ends up being part of the shared universe, then not only would it establish a supernatural trend for the franchise, but it would likely mean that the DCU is headed towards an adaptation of the Justice League Dark in live-action. The superhero team hails from DC Comics, where the JLD serves as the mystical branch of the core Justice League, dealing with demons, magical threats, supernatural entities, and the like. Both Swamp Thing and John Constantine are prominent members of the Justice League Dark, with the duo even appearing in DC's two recent animated movies spotlighting the team, 2017's Justice League Dark and 2020's Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, where Constantine was voiced by his live-action actor in a solo series and the Arrowverse, Matt Ryan, and Swamp Thing was voiced by Roger Cross. Given the potential Constantine has in the DCU, it would make sense if Gunn and Safran chose to pass on Reeves' sequel for a new iteration of the character in the franchise, though the new film's canon status has yet to be confirmed. Created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben First Film Constantine Latest Film DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery Upcoming Films Constantine 2 First TV Show Constantine First Episode Air Date October 24, 2014 The "Constantine" franchise follows John Constantine, an occult detective and master of dark magic from DC Comics, who battles supernatural forces to protect humanity. Known for his morally ambiguous nature and wit, the character has appeared in multiple mediums, including comics, TV series, animated projects, and films. Constantine 2 Director Francis Lawrence Writers Akiva Goldsman Producers J.J. Abrams, Akiva Goldsman, Hannah Minghella, Lauren Shuler Donner Prequel(s) Constantine Constantine 2: A sequel to the 2005 supernatural thriller Constantine, continuing the story of exorcist and demonologist John Constantine as he navigates the eternal battle between good and evil.