DC's Constantine bet is smart, as long as it forgets Keanu

Is DC finally ready to scare us, or is it just collecting genre labels? The news that a new John Constantine movie is in the works, with Francis Galluppi writing, is the most interesting thing the DCU has done since it started stacking up announcements. And it is interesting precisely because of what it isn't: another cape-and-sky-beam spectacle.

What we know, which is not much

As Deadline reports, DC Studios has a John Constantine film in development. Galluppi, writer and director of Evil Dead Wrath, is attached to write the script. Per Flickering Myth, that happens before any official greenlight. The outlets we read say the project is at a very early stage. No director or cast has been announced, and DC Studios has declined to comment.

It's also unclear whether this is a DCU entry or an Elseworlds-style standalone. Hipertextual notes that the news arrives about two weeks after Clayface reached theaters, and Flickering Myth says that body-horror film continues to hold strong at the box office.

Horror is the cheapest way to look distinctive

Here is our argument: horror is where a superhero universe can differentiate itself without spending a fortune. Clayface already pointed that way. Constantine, a cynical occult detective and occasional con artist, is the natural second step. He is a character built on dread, bad deals and moral grime, not on punching bigger villains.

Galluppi looks like a sensible pick. Polygon notes that his debut feature, The Last Stop in Yuma County, led Sam Raimi to handpick him for Evil Dead Wrath, which Flickering Myth says is due April 7, 2028. In our view, that is a filmmaker with genre credentials and no superhero baggage, and that's a good thing.

The risk is the "horror" label becoming a marketing sticker. A Constantine film that is secretly a PG-13 fantasy adventure with a trench coat would waste the character. If DC is serious, it should commit to a tone with teeth, and ideally to a scale that lets it take risks. That is our preference, not something the sources promise.

The Keanu detour is the real trap

The 2005 Constantine, with Keanu Reeves, is a cult favorite, and fans have asked for a sequel for years. Hobbyconsolas describes that project as moving at an exasperatingly slow pace. Polygon adds that Peter Stormare said Reeves was unhappy with the script. It also notes that James Gunn said last year he and Reeves had talked on and off, without a script in hand. Polygon reads the new project as a sign the sequel may have been scrapped. That is its inference, not a confirmed fact.

Our view: good riddance, in the best sense. A legacy sequel would pull the film toward fan service and a tonal compromise with a 2005 movie. A fresh start lets Galluppi's script define what a DCU Constantine is. Hipertextual says the early signs point to a new version, and that hopes for Reeves are fading.

None of this means Reeves could never appear. But if he turns up as a wink in the first act, the film risks becoming a reunion tour instead of a horror movie.

Our verdict

Back the fresh start. DC should keep the budget disciplined, and let Galluppi write something nasty, funny and British. It should settle early whether this lives inside the DCU or outside it, because ambiguity is how tone gets muddy. Then it should cast someone who isn't there to remind us of 2005. Until there is a director and a greenlight, treat this as promising, not guaranteed. But as a direction, it's the right one.