Another DC character will have his own TV show, and British actor Matt Ryan has been added to the show as Constantine.
Matt Ryan will play the role John Constantine in NBC's new TV series based on the DC comic character from "Hellblazer". According to the official blurb from Warner Bro., Matt Ryan's version of the John Constantine will be "a working-class Londoner with rakish good looks, scruffy blond hair, deadpan humour and signature trench coat, who has been studying the dark arts since he was a teenager." Moving away from the movie adaptation of the character that starred Keanu Reeves as Constantine, Warner Bros bring in a British actor does create a better connecting with his comic-book roots.
The news of Ryan's casting also came with an apparent hook for the pilot, which finds the character stepping to play the hero "when the daughter of a late friend is targeted by demons." But will NBC's new show rival Fox's "Gotham" and CW's "Flash" series?
John Constantine in the comics is a magician, occult detective and a con man who deals with super-natural cases and known for his known for his endless cynicism, deadpan snarking, ruthless cunning, and constant chain smoking, but is also a passionate humanist driven by a heartfelt desire to do some good in his life.
He was created by Alan Moore and Steve Bissette in the middle of their critically acclaimed run on "Swamp Thing." Initially just a supporting character, Constantine's popularity began to grow rapidly, leading to his own series, "Hellblazer". It received positive praise during its run and today is the longest running series from Vertigo Comics till date. Hellblazer, along with Swamp Thing was published by Vertigo Comics, an imprint of DC Comics. Hellblazer published its 300th issue, which was its last one earlier this year. Currently Constantine is a member of Justice League Dark which being developed by Guillermo del Toro.
The pilot is written by The Mentalist executive producer Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer, the writer who is basically Warner Bros.' go-to guy on comic book properties. Blade writer Goyer co-wrote Batman Begins and received story credits on its two sequels before moving on Man of Steel and the 2016 sequel Batman vs. Superman, as well as the Sandman adaptation he's developing with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Constantine is one of many comic book properties heading to network television in the near future. Fox is going full-steam ahead on Gotham, the Batman prequel series following Ben McKenzie as a young Detective Jim Gordon, The CW is spinning a Flash series off from Arrow starring Grant Gustin .
