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Constantine is getting a sequel over 17 years later

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Brett

The rumors and wishes have been circulating for a while but according to Deadline, 2005’s Constantine is getting a sequel. The film will re-team Keanu Reeves and director Francis Lawrence. The original was Lawrence’s debut film as director.

Akiva Goldsman will write the screenplay and produce the film alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella.

Constantine was released in 2005 and went on to earn $230.9 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. It was generally considered not a success when originally released but has gone on to build a cult following.

Reeves plays the main character Constantine, based on the DC Comics character. Constantine is a supernatural exorcist/demonologist who has made his own deals with devils. The character has been depicted in numerous media beyond comics. Matt Smith portrayed the character on television on multiple shows and voiced the character in animated films. A new Constantine television series was also in the works for HBO Max also from J.J. Abrams. Variety reports that project is dead due to this film but may be resurrected down the road somewhere else.

The announcement is particularly interesting as Warner Bros. Discovery has been in a bit of a shuffle shelving projects and looking for someone to oversee the DC division. The company has talked about a 10 year plan, it’s unclear where this falls in that.

Movies

Atlas Comics Returns! Ghost Rider Producer Steven Paul Acquires a Majority Interest in Atlas Comics Library

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Brett

At Cannes, Ghost Rider producer Steven Paul announced he has acquired a majority interest in the Atlas Comics library. He’s also signed a co-production and co-financing first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. The goal is to develop, produce, and release superhero films based on the classic comic books.

A writer’s room of nine individuals is being put together and overseen by Akiva Goldsman and his Weed Road Pictures.

Production is set to begin in the second quarter of 2020 with the first film to be released in 2021. The goal is to release one superhero project each year after.

Paul acquired the stake from its owner Nemesis Group and principal Jason Goodman, grandson of Martin Goodman. Goodman was the founder of Marvel Comics, which was later run by Martin’s cousin Stan Lee.

The actual character count is going on but from the initial announcement it sounds like publishing will be included. Jason Goodman who is taking a stake in the new Atlas company will head up publishing and be involved in the film and television projects.

Atlas has a long history in comics. Martin Goodman founded Timely Productions in 1939. He then created the division of Atlas Comics in the 1950s which was the original home to Marvel‘s characters. In the 1960s, that became Marvel Comics. Due to a bad deal, in 1974 Goodman and his son Charles “Chip” Goodman “re-launched” Atlas Comics.

Upon Martin Goodman’s death, the company remained untouched. In 2010 when Jason Goodman, Martin’s grandson, took possession. That resulted in a false start in an attempt to relaunch the publishing brand with Ardden Entertainment. Subsequent lawsuits over trademarks were launched as well.

TV Review: Titans S1E2 Hawk and Dove

Posted on October 9, 2018 by pharoahmiles

DC Universe, DC Entertainment‘s new digital service, is here and with it the promise of original programming, the first of which is Titans. Titans is a live action adaptation of the classic characters and team that debuts October 12. The first season consists of 12 episodes with new ones debuting weekly.

Titans follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and loveable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes.

We’ve got an early look and is the wait worth it? Find out! You can read the review of the first episode here.

Positives

As this episode alludes to, we get to meet the lovesick duo of Hawk and Dove. The pair feels more like Bonnie and Clyde than the squeaky-clean version fans grew up reading in comic books. This episode also brings the new streaming service and current flagship show its first sex scene. It’s not played out graphically but you won’t see this scene on any of Berlanti’s shows streaming on the CW.

We also see how though Dick is no longer part of the Bat Family he’s not afraid to request assistance, seeking help from the other who raised him. We find out how far back the duo has a history with Robin, one that is more muddied than one expected.

Hawk, in this version, is less likable while Dove is much more flawed, but affable nonetheless. Also, in what might be look like a swipe is more like and, is several characters fandom for Game Of Thrones, making them more relatable to the viewer, thus more visceral.

In the episode a family of killers is hunting one of our protagonists. It gives the show its first big bad. Another landmark for this show, is that this is the first time we see a superhero kill some bad guys, as this show already has more blood splatters than all of the DC shows combined. And that’s only in its second episode.

The whole thing wraps up with a major cliffhanger. One that will definitely shock viewers instantly.

Negatives

None

Verdict

This is one to definitely watch as it lets the viewer know more about these characters and how even superheroes can get their love lives messy like the rest of us.

Director: Brad Anderson
Writers: Greg Berlanti, Geoff Johns, and Akiva Goldsman
Starring: Brendon Thwaites, Liza Colon-Zayas, Teagan Croft, Anna Diop, Mina Kelly, Jarreth J.Merz, Ryan Potter, Alan Ritchson,

TV Review: Titans S1E1 Titans

Posted on October 8, 2018 by pharoahmiles

We’ve got an early look and is the wait worth it? Find out!

Positives

One of the first things that you get about Titans is how dark it is, the mood that is set somewhere between the tones of the DCEU movies and Netflix’s Marvel shows, something that pulls you in right away and is quite a pleasant surprise. As even the Netflix Marvel shows restraint in certain aspects, this show doesn’t as was seen and heard in the show’s first trailer, from a scene in Episode 1 X 01, where Robin/Nightwing verbally disavows Batman in the most straightforward way, something fans thought they would never hear from the character, and as can be seen throughout the first episode he explains the fallout to his partner and how it ha temporarily swore off having a partner because of what happened between Bruce and Dick. The majority of the show focuses on Raven, as we get a good backstory about her , as we see her relationship with her mother, played by the prolific Sherilyn Fenn, and how she ends up meeting Dick, through an iconic comic book scene . As in this version, which is much more faithful to the origin story in the comic book, is also being hunted, which at first looks like a child sex trafficking ring but eventually is seen to be a group of zealots who sees her only as the daughter of Trigon. We also get to meet Starfire, where she wakes up with no memory of how she got there and who she is , as well as why she is dressed the way she is. This part makes sense once you find out what capacity Cory Anders is before she used her powers in this version. As was seen online in social media, the instances of backlash, regarding Diop’s race and later her look, which as I have seen in this pilot episode, was gravely premature and downright abhorrent. In what is the last ten minutes of the episode, we see out first glimpse of Beast Boy, , which I feel will pay off in the second episode. As far as the special effects, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy uses their powers to what fans can rejoice, as all three characters in this episode, are quite formidable and the CGI used showcases it perfectly.

Negatives

None as the truth is the DCEU movies can take some notes from DC’s first unfiltered not family friendly show, as I feel this show captures the grit is sought to add to these characters onscreen canon.

Verdict

Watch as this first episode pulls no punches.