NEW show! CONSTANTINE
Constantine, Warner Brothers’ TV adaptation of DC’s long- running Hellblazer comic, draws inspiration from John Constantine’s earliest appearances in Swamp Thing’s “American Gothic” storyline for its first year. But producer Daniel Cerone tells SFX the show is also influenced by other, more surprising sources.
“I really hook into the fact that he’s a conman. I love that. He’s like Yojimbo in a way. He doesn’t have powers but he’s always playing all sides against the middle. Because that’s basically who he is. Sometimes he’s in a situation where he doesn’t always have to use magic to get out. Sometimes it’s his wits. Sometimes it’s sleight of hand. Sometimes it’s just a good old- fashioned con. I also like that he’s got this legend about him, and that he built up that legend. A lot of that legend is earned, but he leans into it. In that way he’s the ultimate trickster. That’s a fun and playful character. But he’s also dark and tortured.”
The show stars Matt Ryan as the titular occultist and adds Angélica Celaya as series regular Zed Martin from its second episode.
Looking at John Constantine’s many adventures, Cerone admits he’s most interested in those which are “grounded”.
“Some of the coolest stuff you might read in the comic book, frankly, when it’s transposed to the screen can be silly. You have Constantine going into different realms and times and fighting demon hordes. So our guiding mantra is we just want to present the most grounded reality that we can.”