The worst has happened for fans of NBC’s cancelled Vertigo/DC Comics-inspired series, Constantine. After an attempt by Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment to shop the series to a new network, a deal couldn’t be reached to find the show a new home in the allotted time. Now that the cast and crew’s contract options have expired, the show is officially dead, with showrunner, Daniel Cerone confirming the news on Twitter.
In a lengthy message to fans, Cerone lamented the failure to give the series a second chance, but thanked the viewers and many passionate campaigners for their efforts and acceptance. He also went on to praise series star, Matt Ryan most notably, whom he claimed was the comic book incarnation of John Constantine made flesh. We certainly agree.
This officially leaves the series hanging on an unresolved cliffhanger, and that’s very unfortunate. This appeared to be a result of the showrunners setting up a story arc that failed to anticipate NBC not ordering additional episodes beyond the initial thirteen, and with the show being cancelled, and not being picked up anywhere else, it seems that this is where the TV adventures of John Constantine end. Quite a sad state of affairs.
Of course, given his overwhelmingly positive reception in the title role, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that star, Matt Ryan could reprise his role as John Constantine somewhere else in the future, whether in the DC Animated Universe, or even in one of the many primetime live-action dramas that DC Entertainment has provided to network television at this point. Stephen Amell, the star of The CW’s successful Green Arrow-starring drama, Arrow, even claimed that there were plans in place to have Matt Ryan guest star as John Constantine during the recently-wrapped third season of Arrow, where he would be consulted as an expert on the Lazarus Pits that season villain, Ra’s Al Ghul used to extend his life and heal his injuries over the course of centuries. Unfortunately, these plans ended up being scrapped, along with plans to include a large story arc for Batman villain, Harley Quinn, both due to the separate networks not reaching a deal, as Harley Quinn’s primetime TV rights currently sit with FOX to potentially be used on Gotham.
Strangely however, FOX’s Gotham rights didn’t impede Arrow’s use of Ra’s Al Ghul and the League of Assassins, despite these forces largely being high-profile foes of Batman. That’s quite curious, although the two shows have also shared a minor DC villain in The Dollmaker, though Dollmaker appeared on the second season of Arrow, before Gotham was green-lit, and was a separate incarnation of the character, Barton Mathis, in contrast from Gotham’s incarnation, Francis Dulmacher.
Are you sad about the apparent death of Constantine? Are you hopeful that the series may one day rise from the dead, as fan-favourite shows like Family Guy and Arrested Development have done after being cancelled, and having their cast contracts expire? Are you apathetic about the show’s demise? As usual, your comments are welcome below.
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