Now that 'Constantine 2' is confirmed, director Francis Lawrence wants to make it a hardcore R-Rated movie
Remember the rumors that a sequel to a cult classic movie based on a DC character was reportedly in the works? Fans of of the 2005 hit 'Constantine' can rejoice as the movie will reportedly will get a sequel after 17 years and is confirmed to be in development at Warner Bros. Keanu Reeves will return as the foul-mouthed, occult detective John Constantine in the sequel directed by Francis Lawrence. The script is being written by Akiva Goldsman.
There is no clarity yet how the 'DC Universe' will look like moving forward. James Gunn and Peter Safran are busy charting out the next 10 years' worth of films but have yet to make any official announcements. There is still no confirmation if 'Constantine 2' will be part of DC even though the graphic novels were, or if it would receive similar treatment to the two aforementioned films.
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In a recent interview with TheWrap, Lawrence said that he felt the first movie was more PG-13 than anything, something he hoped to change with the sequel. "One of the biggest things for me about the first one was we followed, per Warner Bros, the rules to make a PG-13 movie in terms of violence, blood, language and sexuality. But the rating board gave us a hard R based on their gray zone of intensity," Lawrence said.
"And my big, big regret was that we have an R-rated movie that's really a PG-13 movie. And if I was going to have to go have an R, I would have really made an R-rated movie. I would have made it much scarier and much more violent and I would have really made an R-rated movie," Lawrence elaborated, adding, "The idea is this time, at least for me, is to really go at it and make a real R-rated 'Constantine' which is, I think, what people always wanted originally, not the PG-13 version that just happens to get an R."
In the previous movie, Reeves plays John Constantine, a cynical occult detective and exorcist with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true forms and to travel between Earth and Hell. 'Constantine' was released theatrically in February 2005. It grossed $230.9M worldwide against a production budget between $70M-$100M but was met with a mixed reception from film critics. Only time will tell if the sequel surpasses the predecessor.