Constantine: Discussion Thread

[Toups]

Constantine: Discussion Thread

CONSTANTINE – Based on the wildly popular DC Comics series “Hellblazer,” seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan, “Criminal Minds”) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight — or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths, “True Blood”), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight” — an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences — is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

The cast also includes Harold Perrineau and Charles Halford. Writer Daniel Cerone (“The Mentalist,” “Dexter”) serves as executive producer with David S. Goyer (“Man of Steel,” “The Dark Knight Rises”). “Constantine” is produced from Bonanza Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The show is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment.

[London]

Happy about this show solely for the one and only Janina Gavankar.

[wingwalker]

http://youtu.be/uPE2oBnzROY

[DRW50]

Can't wait for them to turn a queer character straight.

Considering how shows like Hannibal deal with this issue, perhaps it's for the best.

[YRBB]

I'm smelling trainwreck, but who knows? Maybe I just don't have any faith in NBC.

[EricMontreal22]

This makes my heart break The comic book--though it has had great writers (such as when the character was introduced under Alan Moore in his Swamp Thing era, or when it started up the "non superhero/mature" line of DC, Vertigo under Delano,) and some awful ones (although I appreciate that in comic book canon Constantine is one of the few unapologetic bisexual male characters,) there is so much wrong here.

The guy looks a lot more like the comic book character than Keanu did in the movie. And it seems like they are keeping his substance abuse along with his accent (albeit not his trademark cigarettes) which is cool. They also seem to be starting to the show in one of his better comic story arcs--when he's in an insane asylum. But, while he still looks way too Hollywood to seem like a character who spends half his time sleeping tormented on the street, the main issue I have is with his female, I assume, sidekick. Who is American. And either doesn't believe in the supernatural or has to be taught about it (haven't we been here before?) This is a show that, to reflect the comic book, should have involved the demon world with modern political (extreme) liberal views and--and maybe this show will do this--a sense of continuity. It would be ideal for an AMC 10 episode a series approach. What I see is a "demon of the week" story revolving around an American that he will ultimately have to save. Yawn.

(Of course I'll still watch.)

[EricMontreal22]

Constantine's bisexuality has been finally put to rest in the comics--after Alan Moore (granted, no fan to any adaptation) questioned the last author of the comic and he replied that that's why they kept it going. He's pretty much like Jack Harkness, if Jack Harkness actually was cool. Of course now that the comic character has been usurped from Vertigo back to DC most of the point of him has been removed anyway....

[DRW50]

So you're saying they no longer have him as bi in the comics? Or they officially made it canon?

I've heard people say this will be like Supernatural, or better than Supernatural, or what have you. I guess some of those fans are also morally outraged because of some paranoia that fans will go around saying he's a ripoff of Castiel (which I have yet to hear anyone say...).

Most of the fan hype I have seen for the show is about comparing it to other shows (it's so much better than Sleepy Hollow and Supernatural and Doctor Who...yet it's just like them!) instead of selling it based on the source material, which doesn't suggest a lot of confidence.

[YRBB]

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/13/constantine-bisexual-smoking/?hootPostID=a29fd38e0e42ba3e46eab2a13a9eb56a

What do you think of their reasons for not making the character bi?

[DRW50]

I'm not at all surprised. NBC is a gutless network and has been for many years. And this is a genre that is notoriously hostile to queer men. That answer is so vague and half-assed, especially the answer about the smoking, that I'm glad I won't be watching this pap.

This gave me a good laugh.

This piece of trash will be lucky to last 20 months.

[DRW50]

Apparently this is the second show where David Goyer turns characters straight because sexuality is meaningless.

Pathetic.

Anytime someone tells you Hollywood is about the gay agenda, tell them someone that actively works to erase gay and bisexual history and characters is rewarded with major production jobs, again and again.

Then tell them to kiss your ass.

[EricMontreal22]

To be sorta fair--Constantine being bisexual is extremely secondary to the comics--it's only relevant to two of the arcs I've read (and I've read about 150 issues--I think Hellblazer ran about twice that many but I hated some of the writers--and of course now he has a DC comic so all of that has been toned down anyway and apparently it is--of course--a big flop.) Although they do show him often still mentioning a male ex, or a quick scene of him getting out of bed with a guy on one of his benders.

That's the other thing--he's a character who gets by on charm and a certain endearing quality--he loves his friends and his sister--but he's not a typical network tv hero whatsoever. Otherwise he's pretty much a druggy, drunk, self loathing creature. The comic, mostly under its better writers, managed to handle this well--I'm not sure I'd trust American cable TV to do the same (he's ALSO not the typical cable male anti-hero we have recently always have had--he doesn't look down or beat up on women or, despite the violence of his comics, see the world as somewhere where violence is necessary) let alone network tv where they don't even seem to be trying.

[YRBB]

Bye, CONSTANTINE (possibly):

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/11/24/constantine-production-halted/

[Juliajms]

Oh yeah, it's over and it was bad. I wanted to like it, but it was just awful, imo.

[DRW50]

Constantine now lives on in Arrow (Arrow spoilers).

 

http://comicbook.com/2015/10/29/matt-ryan-on-fitting-constantine-into-the-arrow-universe/

 

So if people want to write fic where he is in an Olicity sandwich, they can...even if the CW is as uninterested in queer men as NBC is.