Keanu Reeves begged for Constantine sequel

Keanu Reeves begged Warner Bros. to make a ‘Constantine’ sequel.

The 58-year-old star is to reprise his role as the supernatural exorcist John Constantine in the upcoming sequel to the 2005 movie and revealed that he has always been desperate to make the movie.

Keanu told Total Film magazine: “I don’t know if it was unfinished business but it was definitely a role that I loved, and I thought that Francis Lawrence, the director, did such amazing work. I loved playing that character, and I really enjoyed the film.

“I was like, (adopts ‘Oliver Twist’ voice) ‘Can I please have some more?’… I kept asking almost every year. I’d be like, ‘Can I please?’ (and) they’d be like, ‘No, no!'”

Lawrence is returning to direct the sequel, which was confirmed last year, and Reeves is hopeful about the movie’s prospects.

‘The Matrix’ actor said: “It’s exciting. It’s almost like an open playground that we can hopefully cook something up and play in, and I guess get out of the playground and prepare a meal, but I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully it can happen.

“You don’t know how these things go. But I’m definitely going to try my darnedest to try and realise that dream.”

Francis had to be “convinced” to work on the sequel but agreed to do so once it became clear that Keanu and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman would have control over the character of Constantine – who appears in DC’s ‘Hellblazer’ comics.

The ‘Hunger Games’ filmmaker said: “We finally have sort of given the permission to go ahead and do our version of Constantine because people are always saving him to be part of some shared universe thing or some TV thing or whatever.

“And now I think people realise that there might really be an appetite for another version of the Keanu Constantine.”