Is a Constantine sequel coming to unleash hell? Star fires up speculation with cryptic post

Is our favorite paranormal investigator, John Constantine, coming back to the silver screen in a big way? Actor Peter Stormare stirred up speculation this week with a cryptic Instagram post (see below) that seemed to tease that a sequel to 2005's Constantine movie is currently in the works. It only makes sense that Stormare would be so tantalizingly scant with details, as he played the role of Lucifer Morningstar (aka the Devil) in the film.

SYFY WIRE has reached out to Warner Bros., which released Constantine, for comment.

Helmed by Hunger Games vet Francis Lawrence, Constantine starred Keanu Reeves in the title role. The film, which currently holds a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, received middling reviews from critics, who drew comparisons to The Matrix franchise, which ended two years earlier. With an estimated production budget of $100 million, Constantine brought in over $230 million at the global box office.

Despite the movie's respectable ticket sales, no sequel was produced. Over the last 15 years, the feature has attracted a large cult following, and Lawrence has taken notice. "It would be great to figure out a sequel, and if we did, and we've been trying to figure one out, it would be great to do the really dark, scary [version]," the director said in 2011. "We got caught in that weird PG-13 - R no man's land, and we should do the hard-R scary version, which I would love to do."

Lawrence reiterated his interest this past summer, revealing that he's had some preliminary talks with Reeves.

Still, the character's presence on the screen didn't peter out. Matt Ryan ended up playing a more faithful take on the jaded and trench-coat-wearing investigator with a thick Irish brogue in his own spinoff series that ran for one season on NBC. He was eventually brought back as a recurring character for The CW's Legends of Tomorrow in Season 3 before being bumped to a regular in Season 4. Ryan also voiced the character across a number of animated DC projects, making him one of those rare actors who plays the same role in two different mediums.

Constantine '05 co-starred Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, and Gavin Rossdale.