When it comes to so-called “guilty pleasures”, one of mine is 2005’s Constantine. I thought Keanu Reeves‘ wooden style of acting fit the character and I’m a fan of stories playing with religion and the idea of angels and demons, I think it makes for interesting cinema and I’m sort of a sucker for such films. I recognize Constantine has its flaws, but I thought a lot of the story, production design and even a fun performance from Gavin Rossdale as Balthazar worked for me.
Now, NBC is taking the DC/Vertigo character to television with Matt Ryan (“Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”) as the lead character and just below is your first official look at Ryan in costume.
In a press release producer David S. Goyer said of the upcoming series, “I’ve been a fan of John Constantine since he was first introduced in 1985… This Constantine, envisioned by Neil Marshall and embodied by Matt Ryan, looks like he sprang directly from the comics”covers. Fans old and new are going to be in for a treat.”
Marshall (The Descent, “Game of Thrones”) is directing the series, which will co-star Lucy Griffiths as Liv, Harold Perrineau as the angel Manny and Charles Halford as Chas, a role played in the film by Shia LaBeouf.
I don’t quite know what to think of this. Most network television shows have a gloss and certain sheen to their production design and I’m seeing a little of that here and it seems to conflict with the idea of this character and the world he lives in… at least from what I saw in the film. I’m not a comic reader and perhaps the film captured a different tone and aesthetic than what the comics originally portrayed. Either way, this thing is in production and it’s coming your way. You in?
