Actor Matt Ryan has become the definitive John Constantine in the eyes of DC fans, having played the iconic chain-smoking occultist across multiple live-action and animated platforms since 2014. Now he wants to continue this six-year streak on HBO.
In an interview with Den of Geek, Ryan expressed interest in donning the Hellblazer character's iconic trenchcoat once again for the upcoming Justice League Dark on HBO Max. While he is unsure if producer J.J. Abrams would bring him back, Ryan hoped he will at least get the chance to audition, stating "I'm a theater actor, you know? That's where I spent most of my life. I always say to them, 'Just get me in the room.' And then if they don't want me for the role that's their choice." He then added, "I would be very disappointed if a project like that went ahead without even sitting down and seeing what I could do with the material."
Ryan also explored the idea of a live-action Constantine movie, disconnected from the 2005 adaptation starring Keanu Reeves. Part of the appeal of returning to this character, he explained, was that he "[loves] the darker elements of John. There's something about the Joker movie that really kind of connected to me in the way of like, 'Shit, they need to do–I would love to do–a John Constantine movie like that!'"
Ryan began playing John Constantine in the 2014 NBC show Constantine, which was canceled after one season. However, his take on the character received so much praise that the CW brought Ryan back for an episode of Arrow's fourth season and multiple episodes of Legends of Tomorrow's third season. He is now a series regular on Legends and appeared in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover, which linked the Lucifer series. Ryan has also voiced Constantine in a number of DC animated movies, most recently Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
No release date has yet been given for HBO Max's Justice League Dark. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is currently available on Digital HD and will arrive on Blu-ray May 19.