Finally, the long national nightmare is over, and a British actor has been cast as John Constantine! Although I thought it would be one of the dead guys from Game of Thrones, it’s Matt Ryan, seen in Criminal Minds, The Tudors, Layer Cake and other reputable productions.
Constantine is being readied as a TV show for NBC with Daniel Cerone (Dexter) writing the script. David Goyer is exec producing it because he exec produces everything. Game of Thrones enters the pictures with Neil Marshall, a GoT alum who will direct the pilot.
Constantine, as you probably know, starred for 150 issues of Hellblazer, the Vertigo book, before being retrofitted to the DCU in a slightly more PG version in Constantine. He’s best known as a cheeky, sardonic Scouse supernatural detective who shuffles around in a ratty trenchcoat, fighting demons and maggots while saying cheeky, sardonic things.
The role was previously assayed in a film by Keanu Reeves, who is not cheeky, sardonic or remotely Scouse. We may not have ended pollution or prejudice in our times, but Constantine will be played by an Brit, so we have, indeed, made some progress as a civilization.
That’s 300 issues of Hellblazer, if I’m not mistaken.
But will he be blonde? :)
While he is British he is also Welsh and I see visions of people in the U.K. specifically Londoners who will point out to the Star Trek episode of “Futurama” where Scottie was replaced with Welshie it just wasn’t the same.
True it is better than Keannu Reeves in the role but still was their no one from central England available? Maybe someone from Eastenders, Emmerdale, Law & Order U.K., or any other number of programs loaded with talent pool?
“Constantine, as you probably know, starred for 150 issues of Hellblazer, the Vertigo book, before being retrofitted to the DCU in a slightly more PG version in Constantine. ”
As Xavier Guilbert pointed out the Hellblazer book ran 300 issues not 150. And the character started in the DCU as a character in Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. Even Hellblazer started as a DCU book. Issue 63 was the first Vertigo issue. There was no Vertigo until 1993.
Matt Ryan is fantastic! Don’t worry you’ll all be impressed!
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