First Clip from NBC's 'Constantine'

NBC's made the decision to run with Constantine as one of their big new series, and now we see them getting behind it with the recently released trailer, quickly followed up by this new clip from the pilot episode. Matt Ryan plays the surly, chain-smoking demon hunter and "master of the dark arts" who really wants to get that title removed from his business cards.

This clip introduces us to Liv (Lucy Griffiths), who has become the target of demonic forces and seems to have stumbled upon a Hellmouth or something. There's still something not quite right about Ryan's version of Constantine, but the direction by Neil Marshall (The Descent) has given this first episode a big screen feel which hopefully will continue throughout the season.

Constantine airs on NBC this fall.

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'Constantine' Dabbles in the Dark Arts in First Trailer for NBC's Series

Practically every comic book TV show that was pitched got a series order this past week, even ones that are a little bit on the fringe like Constantine. The Hellblazer comic from which it springs certainly has fans, and the movie from some years ago has many of them screaming for Keanu Reeves to take up the mantle again rather than current Constantine, Matt Ryan. But it's also probably safe to say that if the show is going to be a success it will be largely from those who are new to John Constantine, and now they can be introduced to the chain-smoking demon hunter in the first trailer.

Looking a little bit like Supernatural by way of Guy Ritchie, the trailer give us a little bit of the Constantine swagger and self-deprecating humor. Master of the Dark Arts? Nah, he's merely a "petty dabbler", who is clearly tangling with enough personal demons to check himself into a mental institution.

Matt Ryan isn't a perfect Constantine, but he's a good deal closer to the Alan Moore's vision for the character than Reeves ever came close to. Overall, this looks like a solid show maybe worth giving a spin for a couple of episodes. Co-starring Harold Perrineau, Lucy Griffiths, and Charles Halford, Constantine will premiere this fall.


Constantine (NBC TV Series) - Trailer by Dread Central

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First Look at Matt Ryan as NBC's 'Constantine'

You thought comic books had taken over the movie world? The realm of television is starting to become just as crowded with Flash, Agents of SHIELD, Gotham, Arrow, and Marvel's four Netflix series. And NBC is getting into the game, too, with a series based on DC Comics' Constantine.

We've got our first look at Matt Ryan (not the Atlanta Falcons QB!) as John Constantine, the chain-smoking supernatural detective. He's a bit of a bastard and I think that's captured pretty well in this image. What will really sell it is the accent, the one thing Keanu Reeves couldn't give us in the 2005 film.

David Goyer (Man of Steel, the Dark Knight trilogy) is developing the show with Neil Marshall (The Descent) directing the pilot. It should fit right in with NBC's other dark-themed shows like Grimm, Hannibal, and Dracula.

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Matt Ryan to Lead NBC's 'Constantine' Pilot

Marvel may have a stranglehold on the big screen, but DC Comics is owning TV right now. Deadline reports that Welsh actor Matt Ryan (Flypaper) will take the lead role of John Constantine in NBC's upcoming Constantine pilot developed by David Goyer.

Goyer and Daniel Cerone will pen the script, following the adventures of John Constantine, an irreverent chain-smoking detective of the supernatural realm, who reluctantly must defend our world from dark forces. Constantine first appeared in a 1985 issue of Swamp Thing as a creation of writer Alan Moore, then moving on to the long-running Hellblazer series on DC's Vertigo Imprint. The series was cancelled last year after 300 issues and replaced by a new DCU title. Keanu Reeves notably played the character in the 2005 film, Constantine, and despite not being a Brit I thought he handled it pretty well. It's kind of an underrated film, if you ask me.

So add Constantine to DC's expanding TV universe which includes Arrow, Gotham, and The Flash.

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