Constantine 2 isn’t going to be saintly at all, if director Francis Lawrence has anything to say about it. In an interview with The Wrap, while promoting his Netflix movie Slumberland, the filmmaker revealed some details about the highly anticipated horror movie Constantine 2 – and how this time around, he is aiming for a “hard” R-rating.
Lawrence famously directed the first Constantine movie back in 2005, loosely based on DC Comics’ Hellblazer comic book. The fantasy movie follows the adventures of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) as he tries to stop the antichrist’s plans for world domination. The film features demonic possession, depictions of suicide, and some angel and demon-based violence – but still, Lawrence was held back when it came to how far the dark superhero movie could go.
This was due to Warner Bros trying to reign the production in to hit a PG-13 rating. But despite toning it down and trying to follow the studio’s guidelines, the film received an R-rating anyway, something that Lawrence still regrets today.
“One of the biggest things for me about the first one was we followed, per Warner Bros, the rules to make a PG-13 movie in terms of violence, blood, language, sexuality,” Lawrence explained. “But the ratings board gave us a hard R based on their the gray zone of intensity. And my big, big regret was that we have an R-rated movie that’s really a PG-13 movie.”
Now with Constantine 2 confirmed and on its way, the filmmaker has a shot to make up for his past regrets. “The idea is this time, at least for me, is to really go at it and make a real R-rated Constantine which is, I think, what people always wanted originally, not the PG-13 version that just happens to get an R,” Lawrence said.
Currently, there is no release date for Constantine 2 and plot details for the film are being kept under wraps. We will keep you posted as more details head our way. In the meantime, here is our guide on how to watch all the Batman movies in order.