Francis Lawrence says Constantine 2 now has a script and may have a fresh opportunity to move forward following the exits of James Gunn and Peter Safran from DC Studios.

The filmmaker, who has spent more than two decades trying to reunite with Keanu Reeves for a sequel, is hopeful that new leadership could remove the roadblocks that repeatedly prevented the project from advancing. However, the movie has not yet received a confirmed green light.

Speaking with Collider, Lawrence stressed that his optimism was not rooted in wanting anyone to lose a job. He said the previous DC leadership had been an obstacle to making the proposed sequel, despite the creative team’s continued interest.

“We’ve been trying to make Constantine 2 for 20-something years, and we have an idea, and we have a script, and we’ve been wanting to make it,” Lawrence said.

According to Lawrence, the effort still has the support of Reeves, Akiva and J.J. Abrams. “We all want to do it,” he said, adding that the larger challenge is bringing the relevant companies and decision-makers into agreement.

Lawrence identified Paramount, Warner and whoever is now running DC as the parties that would need to get behind a continuation of the filmmakers’ particular version of Constantine. He said the change at DC had made the group more hopeful that another opportunity could emerge, while acknowledging the many obstacles the sequel has encountered over the years.

A Long Road From Treatment to Script

Lawrence’s latest comments mark a notable development from the project’s status earlier in 2025. At that time, Reeves said he and Lawrence had assembled a story and presented it to DC Studios.

“We’ve been trying to make this film for over a decade, and we just recently put a story together and pitched it to DC Studios and they said, ‘OK,’” Reeves told Inverse. “So, we’re going to try and write a script.”

Later in 2025, Gunn said on the BobaTalks podcast that he had discussed the sequel intermittently, including with Reeves, but had not read a screenplay.

“I’ve discussed it on and off. I’ve discussed it with Keanu [Reeves], but I have not read any script yet,” Gunn said.

Lawrence is now saying that a script is ready, moving the project beyond the treatment and story-pitch stage described by Reeves. Even so, his remarks make clear that having a screenplay does not resolve the business and leadership questions surrounding the film.

The sequel’s difficulties also predate the most recent changes at DC. In 2023, Lawrence said the writers’ strike had caused setbacks. He also described the work required to regain control of the character because others had held control of the Vertigo material.

“We had to jump through a bunch of hurdles to get control of the character again, because other people had control of the Vertigo stuff,” Lawrence told GameSpot at the time. “We have control.”

The Version Lawrence and Reeves Want to Continue

Constantine is loosely drawn from DC Comics and Vertigo Comics’ Hellblazer. Kevin Brodbin and Frank Cappello wrote the film’s screenplay from a story by Brodbin.

Reeves plays John Constantine, a chain-smoking cynic who can see the true appearances of half-angels and half-demons. Lawrence’s comments indicate that the proposed follow-up would specifically continue that interpretation of the character rather than introduce a different version.

ShowBiz Take

The significance of Lawrence’s update is not simply that the filmmakers remain interested. The project has advanced from a treatment pitched to DC Studios to what Lawrence describes as a completed script, while the creative group he named remains willing to participate.

But Constantine 2 is also a clear example of how creative readiness does not guarantee production. Lawrence says the idea, screenplay and interested collaborators are in place, yet the sequel still depends on alignment among Paramount, Warner and DC’s leadership.

After more than 20 years of attempts, the leadership change has given Lawrence renewed hope—not a confirmed production order.

What Happens Next?

Lawrence wants to speak with the new leadership about moving ahead. The immediate question is whether all of the necessary companies and decision-makers will support a sequel to his and Reeves’ version of Constantine.

For now, the screenplay is ready and the key creative participants named by Lawrence want to make the film. Whether the latest opening finally ends the project’s long run of setbacks remains unresolved.