As one of the most popular and beloved actors of a generation, there aren’t many projects that Keanu Reeves couldn’t make happen if he really wanted to work on them. After all, he’s become one of the most bankable stars around, and his famous franchises like The Matrix and John Wick have generated mass profits at the box office. However, there’s also always been an added charm to the now 59-year-old Canadian actor, which stems from his reputation as “the nicest man in Hollywood.”

This is no overstatement since if you google those words next to Reeves’ name, a plethora of stories will emerge that show how grounded and truly kind and generous a person he is in real life. What makes it all so much more endearing is the fact that Keanu Reeves is just as well known for having suffered many tragedies in his life, too. Among these, his father walked away from the family when he was around three years old, he famously lost his best friend, River Phoenix, to a drug overdose, he had to watch his sister battle leukemia, and he suffered the two biggest heartbreaks when he lost his daughter, who was stillborn, and then her mother — his partner Jennifer Syme — to a car accident less than two years later.

Despite all this, the fact that Reeves is still known to do things like occasionally ride the subway, be kind and generous to random strangers, and support many charitable causes have all contributed to him being one of the most adored actors in Hollywood. However, despite this reputation, his many hit films, and massive franchise successes, there’s one role that Keanu Reeves has always wanted to play again but never got the chance to, at least not yet.

Keanu Reeves in Constantine

Keanu Reeves first achieved superstardom long ago when he appeared in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure back in 1989. He’s since gone on to star in an array of blockbuster films and forged a reputation as a bankable action hero and sci-fi actor. He’s also known for taking on many roles in other genres, like romance (The Lakehouse) and horror (Bram Stoker’s Dracula). From his roles in the latter of these genres, he came across the one role he’s always wanted to play again.

That role was in 2005’s fantasy-horror film Constantine. Directed by Francis Lawrence (who went on to direct four of the five Hunger Games films), this one was a supernatural film based on DC Comics’s very dark “Hellblazer” comic book. Keanu Reeves was the film’s lead as he played the titular character, John Constantine, a demon hunter who straddles the lines between Earth and the supernatural worlds. Cursed to never enter heaven because of a suicide attempt when he was younger, Constantine finds himself a somewhat rugged antihero with many of his own vices as he fights evil forces.

While literally and figuratively fighting demons, Constantine is later wrapped up in a supernatural plot involving forces from heaven and hell. He teams up with a detective named Angela Dodds (Rachel Weisz) and discovers a series of demonic plans that threaten to destabilize the delicate balance between good and evil and the realms of heaven and hell. High-ranking members of both sides, including the likes of Archangel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) and even the devil himself, are encountered along the way, making it an action-packed film that fared relatively decently at the box office.

The Story Came Straight From Keanu Reeves Himself

It all started when Reeves visited Colbert back in 2021 to promote The Matrix Resurrections. Colbert’s question to him that night was, “Is there a character you’ve played before you’d like to play again, but no one is asking you?”. As Reeves pondered the question, Colbert built up the moment even more by adding, “And keep in mind that when you say this, someone will then ask you to, so be careful.” The pair then had a moment of banter where they argued over whether his answer would result in a sequel happening.

While Reeves didn’t believe his answer would make a difference, Colbert thought it would, and it would result in calls to have the character in question return to the big screen. As reported by Entertainment Weekly at the time, when he finally answered, his response was short and measured but still drew a huge round of applause from the live audience.

I want to play… I would love to play… John Constantine again

While widely celebrated by his army of fans, the response itself wasn’t as much a revelation as what he said next. Colbert, in the typical style of the hilarious host of The Late Show, tickled audiences by campaigning for a guest part in any prospective Constantine 2 film. However, Reeves’ next admission was more of a shocker. He went on to admit that he had tried to get Constantine 2 made but was never able to make it happen.

Will a Constantine Sequel Ever Be Made?

Although that interview was all the way back in 2021, Keanu Reeves reiterated his desire to play John Constantine again in an interview with Variety. Unfortunately, for a long while after, nothing seemed to have come from it all. Fans of Reeves were disappointed since, even though Constantine wasn’t well-loved by critics, it became a cult favorite among fans of the comic and fans of Keanu Reeves alike, with the actor showing a penchant for darker comic book characters. Sadly, the rumor mill never went very far back then and, for a while, the idea of a Constantine sequel was forgotten.

After a failed series in 2014 that starred Matt Ryan was canceled after just one season (though Ryan did reprise the role in The Arrowverse), by 2022, the idea of a Constantine series took hold again — only for that project to be shelved too. In 2018, fans got a treat through an R-rated animated film that was raved about by many comic fans. Fans of the first film and Reeves were overjoyed when Warner Bros. shelved the second series idea and announced a sequel instead, with Reeves set to return as the eponymous character.

However, that film soon seemed to experience its own form of development purgatory as it later seemed to have dropped off the radar. It was then rumored to have a proper R-rated version in the works. There were calls for a reboot instead of a sequel, and Keanu Reeves himself seemed to have dropped out altogether — despite being the person who wanted the film the most.

As of 2024, it now seems a follow-up may still be in the works, though whether it will be a direct sequel, the plot details, and even the extent of Keanu Reeves’ involvement are all still uncertain. While fans remain hopeful that the star will return, rumors still swirl around whether the film will possibly be released amid James Gunn’s rebooted DCU launch, as the character could be recast at that point. One way or another, it seems a new Constantine film could be released at some point. What remains to be seen is how large a part Keanu Reeves will play in it and if he’ll get his wish and play the character again in a proper second film or show up as a cameo. Constantine is currently streaming on Prime Video.