UPDATE: First official image of Matt Ryan as Constantine added below!
NBC's Constantine pilot began filming this week, and now we have a first look at Matt Ryan as everyone's favorite cynical occult detective, John Constantine. The image was released by NBC for Slates for Sarah (a Facebook page dedicated to Sarah Elizabeth Jones, who died last month while working as a camera assistant on the Gregg Allman biopic MIDNIGHT RIDER), and I think fans of the comic are going to be very pleased with how Matt Ryan looks in costume as Constantine.
Now that's a John Constantine!
With the brown jacket, loose tie and blonde hair, Ryan looks almost exactly like the comic book version of the character. I know you can't judge a book by its cover, and an image of Matt Ryan as Constantine alone probably won't change anyone's opinion on the upcoming series, but so far, so good in my opinion. At least they got the look of the character down, unlike the 2005 film with Keanu Reeves.
Harold Perrineau, Lucy Griffiths and Charles Halford will also star in Constantine, with Neil Marshall (DOG SOLDIERS, THE DESCENT) directing the pilot from a script by David S. Goyer and Daniel Cerone (The Mentalist).
Synopsis:
Constantine centers on John Constantine (Matt Ryan), an enigmatic and irreverent con man-turned-reluctant supernatural detective who is thrust into the role of defending us against dark forces from beyond. When Liv (Griffiths), the daughter of a late friend, is targeted by demons, Constantine steps in to save her. Griffiths’ Liv is an offbeat young woman tired of her ordinary life who comes to discover that she has the ability of seeing the supernatural world among us, which makes her a key player in the battle between good and evil. Liv teams up with Constantine to save lives, master her power, and learn more about her late father. Perrineau will play Manny, an authoritative angel assigned to watch over Constantine who has the power to step into other people’s bodies, and although he is meant only to observe, Manny will not hesitate to help out if he can save a life. Halford will play Chas, Constantine’s oldest friend and staunch companion who possesses powerful survival skills that might possibly be supernatural.
Constantine (if picked up) could air as early as this fall on NBC.