Constantine: WB Circling Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù To Star As John Constantine In New HBO Max Series: Exclusive

The Illuminerdi has learned that HBO Max is eyeing British actor Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù to potentially play John Constantine in new Constantine series.

Constantine will once again grace fans screens, but this may not be the John Constantine that fans expect. HBO Max is bringing the warlock back to the small screen, but this time with a more horror focused tone.

JJ Abrams is building out his own corner of the DC Universe with his highly anticipated Justice League Dark Universe and it looks like the chain smoking, trench coat wearing magic wielder John Constantine will be kicking things off. UK author Guy Bolton is attached to write the series which will dive into the horror elements of the character instead of focusing on the religious aspects and it seems someone may have caught the attention of Warner Bros.

HAS HBO MAX FOUND THEIR NEW JOHN CONSTANTINE?

VIDEO: Asher Freidberg

According to our sources Warner Bros. is circling Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù to play John Constantine in the new HBO Max series. Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù is an exciting possibility with the British Nigerian actor having experience in film, television, and on stage. With this series focusing on horror and the warlock often finding himself embroiled in supernatural mysteries, Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù could be the perfect actor to take on this beloved role. With experience in horror from the film His House and action with the British action crime drama series Gangs Of London.

Recently we at The Illuminerdi not only revealed the production start date, but the working title for this series, “Chimney.” Knights Edge Media recently gave fans even more insight into this new series with the logline “The series blends urban action, body horror, and the supernatural on the streets of modern-day London. It follows a young man whose entire world is upended when a chance encounter with a young girl pulls him into the dark and treacherous world of the occult.”

They also revealed that the series is looking to cast two more roles, Akara, a 10-year-old Cambodian girl who is reportedly the heart of the story and her grandfather, Pich, 60+ years old who is deceptively strong. Knights Edge Media suspects Akara could be Astra Logue of the Hellblazer comics which given her importance to John Constantine and the logline seems likely.

John Constantine was first introduced in the 1985 comic The Saga Of Swamp Thing #37 before making the leap to the silver screen in 2005 with the Keanu Reeves led film, Constantine. In recent years this character has grown in popularity with Matt Ryan him to life first on the short lived NBC series, Constantine, before reprising his role on the CW’s Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow.

Ryan has also voiced the character in a number of animated projects including Justice League Dark, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, and the upcoming Constantine: The House Of Mayhem. While Ryan has proven himself to be an exceptional John Constantine, and hopefully will continue to portray the character in animation, it will be exciting to see a new, more horror based version of the character, especially with the new series seemingly exploring the early days of the warlock.

It seems JJ Abrams will prove to be an important voice in the DC Universe not only building out his Justice League Dark with Constantine primed to kick things off likely follows by Emerald Fennell’s Zantanna film and Angela Robinson’s Madame X series both of which are in development. Abrams is also teaming with Matt Reeves and Bruce Timm for the new animated Batman series, Caped Crusader, and producing the highly anticipated new Superman movie which will feature a Black lead under his Bad Robot banner.

Are you excited for the new HBO Max Constantine series? Would you like to see Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù play John Constantine? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more DC, HBO Max, and Constantine.