John Constantine is a well-known DC character created in 1985 by a team consisting of Alan Moore, John Totleben, Rick Veitch, and Steve Bissette. The character first appeared in “The Saga of the Swamp Thing,” which eventually led to comics starring Constantine in 1988. Constantine's character has been considered among the top favorite comic book characters since his creation, with the first official live-action appearance in the 2005 movie “Constantine” with Keanu Reeves in the starring role. The first live-action appearance on television was the short-lived series “Constantine” with Matt Ryan in the title role, which eventually went on to guest star in an episode of “Arrow,” which landed Ryan a starring role in “Legends of Tomorrow.”
HBO Max to adapt a new Constantine
JJ Abrams is a major name in film and television with credits including “Felicity,” “Alias,” “Lost,” “Person of Interest,” “Revolution,” “Almost Human,” and “Star Trek into Darkness.” Abrams recently announced current plans to bring a young John Constantine to HBO Max.
Constantine came to television in the brief series starring Matt Ryan, which aired on NBC before John Constantine arrived on "Legends of Tomorrow." The series received some criticism over Constantine's character being interested only in women though Ryan's portrayal has been praised. Ryan is currently a series regular as Constantine on “Legends of Tomorrow.” Not much is currently known about the HBO Max project aside from a premise following young Constantine, who Deadline reports cast with diversity in mind. The new series has been described as a darker version of the character and has Guy Bolton on board. Deadline reports that Bolton has the pilot written, and a writer's room is expected to begin in March of this year.
This won't be the first major Constantine storyline brought to life, with a previous one taking place in the fifth season of "Legends of Tomorrow."
HBO Max projects on the way
The new Constantine show is among several shows expected to land on HBO Max. The new series will join the renewals of “Titans” and “Doom Patrol” with works in development such as the John Cena project “Peacemaker” and a series about the “Green Lantern.” “Peacemaker” is currently in production with filming in Vancouver and will be a direct spin-off from “The Suicide Squad” by James Gunn.
It is currently unknown where the new series will take place in the timeline of the movie, and Gunn has yet to confirm if it will be a prequel or sequel. However, the characters' sneak peeks have been revealed with Cena as the Peacemaker who Deadline described as a character that believes in achieving peace through violence.
Other characters expected are John Economos (Steve Agee), NSA agent Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick), Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), and the Vigilante (Chris Conrad).
“Green Lantern” is expected to start filming in April with Game Report teasing that the new show will follow many Green Lanterns such as Alan Scott, Jessica Cruz, Guy Gardner, and Simon Baz. HBO Max has also greenlit a series about the Gotham police department, which is a spin-off from the newest "Batman” movie starring Robert Pattinson. HBO Max's Content Chief Casey Bloys shared thoughts on if the new "Batman" would have any crossovers with the upcoming police-centric series.
The content chief shared that some fluidity between TV and movie characters is expected, and they don't wish to reserve any characters strictly for one or the other.
JJ Abrams has created a thriller called “Subject to Change,” which has been greenlit by HBO Max with Jennifer Yale on board as Executive Producer and Showrunner. The streaming service also has plans for “Overlook,” which will be inspired by “The Shining” by Stephen King, a series based on the Justice League Dark franchise, and a 1970s crime drama called “Duster.” Not much is known about any of the new series though it has been teased that “Overlook” will feature iconic characters and be a prequel to “The Shining” with ten episodes expected.
Comic Book teased that the series will follow untold and terrifying stories within the hotel. “Mortal Kombat” is a new adaptation of the video game and reimagines the movie in 1995 with an expected R-rating. The new movie will be in theaters and on HBO Max on April 16.
'Legends of Tomorrow' spoilers
Not much has been released about the upcoming season six of “Legends of Tomorrow” other than a recent renewal for season seven by the CW. The series has held several quirky storylines, including a super-sized Beebo, a man-eating unicorn, a musical number, and meeting Jane Austen. Longtime cast member Dominic Purcell took to social media to express his humble thanks for the renewal while also clarifying that his contract is up following season seven.
He will be departing the series afterward. Though fans have yet to receive spoilers for the upcoming season, they have been treated to a few teases, such as Aliyah O'Brien set to recur as Kayla, who Deadline teased as being a fearsome warrior who has no patience for human incompetence and also has a high body count.
David Ramsey, known for his portrayal of John Diggle on “Arrow,” has landed a deal that will find him returning to the DC Universe as a director as well as reprising his role as Diggle in “Superman & Lois,” “Batwoman,” “Supergirl,” and “The Flash.” The actor has also landed a mysterious recurring role on “Legends of Tomorrow.” Raffi Barsoumian has landed a role as Bishop, who TVLine has described as someone working to save the world after seeing the end of it.
The character is also described as being someone who pretends to be a groovy bon vivant when he's actually a sadistic egomaniac. Additionally, recurring actor Adam Tsekhman has been upped to series regular for season six.
