Back in 2014, NBC produced a television series calledConstantinewhich was based on DC Vertigo’s longest-running and most successful titleHellblazer. Welsh actor Matt Ryan was cast in the title role and the series picked up more than its fair share of fans throughout its first season. But then NBC pulled the plug on the show much to the heartbreak of many DC fans. That said, Ryan has returned to the small screen as Constantine since, with roles keeping the character alive in such hit DC shows like The CW’sArrowandLegends of Tomorrow, along with the animatedJustice League Darkmovie, and again in the CW Seed seriesConstantine: City of Demons. And now it looks like there’s a newConstantineshow in development, and Warner Bros. wants Matt Ryan back in the role.
For those who might not know, John Constantine was originally a supporting character inSwamp Thingcreated by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben, Jamie Delano and John Ridgway. The DC Comics antihero ended up with his very own comic seriesHellblazerin 1988. And let’s not forget that back in 2005, the character got his own big-budget live-action movie starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.
Constantine is described as, “Aworking-class occult detectiveand con man stationed in London. He is known for his endless cynicism, deadpan snarking, ruthless cunning, and constant chain smoking, but is also a passionate humanitarian driven by a heartfelt desire to do some good in his life.” Oddly enough, Sting was his visual inspiration.
NBC’s short-livedConstantineseries was developed by Daniel Cerone andDavid S. Goyer. In all, the show aired a mere 13 episodes from July 11, 2025, to July 08, 2025, before NBC gave the show the boot back on June 23, 2025, due to poor ratings. Ryan’s co-stars in the show included Lucy Griffiths as Liv Aberdine, Angélica Celaya as Zed Martin, Charles Halford as Francis “Chas” Chandler, and Harold Perrineau as Manny. Bear McCreary composed the show’s score. Following NBC’s decision to cancel the series, dismayed fans launched a campaign to save the show and Warner Bros tried to get another network to pick it up. Both failed leading producer Daniel Cerone to comment.
“We’re leaving behind wild and passionate fans who believe in and were moved by what we tried to do. To leave such a significant, dedicated and active fan base on the table-that’s the real sadness. You all deserve many years of the series we set out to make, and we’re disappointed that we couldn’t deliver that to you.”
It’s easy to assume that this newConstantineseries will be tailor-made for DC’s streaming platformDC Universe. After all, the streaming site already has James Wan’sSwamp Thingseries in the works with Len Wiseman directing the first episode that was written by Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman. I think it’s safe to assume at this point that, with all the Ryan as Constantine love DC has been throwing around over the years, a cameo (at least) in this new series seems like a given. I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see whenSwamp Thinghits this May. This story originally ran onWe Got This Covered.
