TV: The Dream Of ‘Constantine’ As A Show Is Dead, For Now
Fans of the short-lived CW series Constantine, which, while critically acclaimed, suffered from a disadvantageous time slot and a perceived lack of enthusiasm by the network, have been waiting on pins and needles to hear of a potential savior network that would resurrect the television adaptation of the Hellblazer comic book series. Following the breakout popularity of fellow CW comic stable mates Arrow and The Flash, and on the heels of the smash hit Daredevil series on Netflix, it seemed assured, if not imminent, that Constantine, as a TV series, would be saved.
Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.
Constantine Executive Producer Daniel Cerone took to twitter today to announce that the writers and staff of Constantine have been released from their contracts and that, at least for now, the show is dead, reports Eric Francisco of Geekscape.
“The studio tried to find a new home for the show, for which we’re forever grateful, but those efforts didn’t pan out. I’m sorry, I wasn’t provided any information on the attempts to sell the show elsewhere. All I can report is that the show is over.”
Constantine debuted on October 24, 2014 and ran for 13 episodes. The show featured Welsh actor Matt Ryan as John Constantine, a demon hunter with mystical powers of the occult. Constantine struggled with his own inner demons while attempting to protect the innocent from supernatural threats, fighting, and sending them back to the underworld in an attempt to procure his own salvation.
The Hellblazer series ran from January 1988 to February 2013, making it one of the longest continually released comic book series’ of all time and is one of the few mainstream series to have the lead character age in real time. The series features John Constantine, who had debuted two and a half years earlier as a creation of comic master Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissette as a supporting character in the duo’s Saga of the Swamp Thing series. Since then, the character of John Constantine, a streetwise, cigarette smoking magician, went on to become one of the most popular anti-heroes in popular culture and helped to usher in an era of stories featuring such an archetype.
The character’s popularity was such that is spawned a live-action feature film also called Constantine, which was released in 2005 starring Keanu Reeves. Constantine earned over $230 million worldwide.
While Cerone’s statement included no indication that rehoming Constantine is an option that is even still on the table, the writer/producer thanked the fans and reminded them that while this incarnation of the Constantine story has closed, the mythology, and the 13 episodes, will live on.
“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. The good news is that Constantine will live on for years in many more forms. But our time as caretakers has ended.”
