Constantine
Short description
Constantine centers on John Constantine, a man who has been to Hell and returned, and who can see the angels and demons walking the earth in human guise. Haunted by that ability, he patrols the boundary between Heaven and Hell, sending infernal agents back where they came from. When a police detective named Angela Dodson asks for help investigating the death of her twin sister Isabel, who fell from the roof of the mental hospital where she was confined, he takes the case. Angela is skeptical of his claims about the demonic world, but the investigation draws them both into the conflict between angels and demons running beneath present-day Los Angeles.
The film is directed by Francis Lawrence and was the first feature he directed, followed by I Am Legend, Water for Elephants and several films in the Hunger Games series. Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Cappello wrote the screenplay, and Akiva Goldsman, Lauren Shuler Donner and Michael Uslan produced it for Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, Weed Road Pictures and 3 Arts Entertainment. Keanu Reeves plays Constantine, with Rachel Weisz as Angela and Isabel Dodson, Shia LaBeouf as Chas Kramer, Djimon Hounsou as Midnite, Max Baker as Beeman and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Father Hennessy. It runs 121 minutes and cost about 100 million dollars, taking roughly 231 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from around 406,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.2 out of 10 from over 8,500 votes, both higher than the critics' rating of 5.7 out of 10.
What's left behind the scenes
- Originally, the production team planned to entrust Tarsem Singh with directing the film and Nicolas Cage with the lead role. However, the director was opposed to Nicolas's casting from the start and eventually left the project. Shortly thereafter, Nicolas Cage followed suit.
- At the beginning of the film, when the demon-possessed girl crawls on the ceiling, she shouts “Papatayin natin sila!”, which in one of the Philippine dialects means “We will kill them all!”
- Michelle Monaghan played the role of a half-demon and Constantine’s girlfriend, but almost all of her scenes were cut (with the exception of a minute-long appearance in the final battle scene in the hospital) because the director decided it would be better for the film if Constantine didn’t have anyone close to him.
- When the demon-possessed girl crawls on the ceiling at the beginning of the film, she shouts “Papatayin natin sila!”, which in Tagalog means “Let’s kill them all!”.
- The film is based on the comic book "Hellblazer," but it was decided to give the film a different title to avoid confusion with the film "Hellraiser."
- The whisky that John Constantine drinks is Ardbeg, a single malt Scotch whisky from the Isle of Islay region, known, among other things, for its pronounced smoky aroma.
- In the comic, the main character, John Constantine, was from Liverpool, but in the film, he became a native of California. This decision was largely due to the choice of actor for the lead role. Keanu Reeves is a typical American, and it would have been unlikely for him to convincingly play a Briton.
- Initially, Tarsem Singh was planned as the director, and Nicolas Cage was to play the main role. However, the director was against Nicolas's candidacy from the very beginning and left the project. Shortly thereafter, Nicolas Cage followed his example.
- A life-size replica of actress Rachel Weisz was created for the scene showing the corpse of Isabel Dodson.
- Peter Stormare was considered for the role of Balthazar.
- The whisky that John Constantine drinks is a single malt Scotch whisky, Ardbeg, from the Isle of Islay region.
- The film is based on the "Hellblazer" comic book series from 1988. John Constantine first appeared in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing comic.
- Despite the fact that the film "Constantine" was based on the plot of the "Hellblazer" comic (Messenger of Hell), it was decided to give the film a different title to avoid confusion with another similar title, "Hellraiser" (Hellbound).
- In the scene where Angela, in shock, rushes to the window overlooking the sky, no bars are visible on the window. However, when she is shown close-up near the windowsill, a diamond-shaped bar is clearly visible.
- The Nazi flag, which, according to the film, wrapped the Spear of Destiny, was destroyed after filming.
- A life-size replica of actress Rachel Weisz was made for the filming of the scene showing the corpse of Isabelle Dodson.
- The Nazi German flag that the Spear of Destiny was wrapped in was destroyed after filming.
- According to Clive Barker, the prototype for John Constantine was the popular singer Sting.
- To get into character, Rachel Weisz visited a morgue.
- Constantine's hand tattoo is an alchemical symbol of the Red King, protecting whoever wears it.
- In the comic book, John Constantine was from Liverpool, but in the film, he became a native of California. This decision was largely due to the choice of the actor playing the main role.
- When the angel (Tilda Swinton) is lecturing Constantine, hospital wristbands can be seen on her hands. When viewed from above, the wristbands on her left hand lie flat and still. But in shots where the camera rotates 90 degrees, one of the wristbands constantly sticks up.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
