Another comic book legend will soon appear on the small screen with the NBC series starring the once-con-man-now-detective character, John Constantine. Matt Ryan, known by Doctor Who fans in BBC’s “Torchwood” for his works in Showtime’s “The Tudors”, was recently released as the DC Comics‘ character John Constantine in new character photo below.
Constantine (source)
Hopefully not many readers will think of that Keanu Reeves 2005 flop Constantine, but rather the cunningly snarky antihero first introduced in the 1985 series the “Swamp Thing”. From 1988 to 2013, Constantine made his way as a lead character in “Hellblazer” and finally his own character series “Constantine,” where he fights to protect Earth against dark forces.
The show’s air date is unknown but masterminds Neil Marshall (“The Dark Knight”), David S. Goyer (“Game of Thrones”) and Daniel Cerone (“Dexter”) are head runners behind the NBC adaptation. As for the picture, Ryan’s demeanor and facial expression seemingly embodies Constantine’s essence but only time will tell if NBC has a hit on their hands. Still it’s curious to see Constantine without his signature cigarette, which arguably adds to specific plot movements.
Nonetheless, this is a DC Comics adaptation for general audiences and smoking bans do take effect. Yet there is potential for a great series if there is a sturdy structure and vibrant characters to develop balance and a fan base that spans beyond the comics. Time will only tell if Constantine is as vibrant of a character as he is in print.
Gamenomics & Comicology 