After its was announced that it would be going to series in the US last week, it was inevitable that the first trailer for the TV take on DC’s Constantine would arrive in short order. So it has come to pass, with initial footage heading online as the big American networks prepare to do their song-and-dance for advertisers this week in New York at the Upfronts.
This first active look at the show largely cements our hopes for something closer to the Hellblazer comics than the 2005 film that cast Keanu Reeves as a tortured American take on John Constantine. Though Matt Ryan is using his native Welsh lilt rather than aiming for Liverpudlian, voice-wise, he has a welcome wry, world-weariness about him. And with Neil Marshall directing the first episode, it certainly has a decent scope to kick off with.
As this first teaser demonstrates, we’re promised a brisk introduction to John’s supernatural world, a place he’s largely tried to eschew. But when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her.
Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s second sight, an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences, is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong…
Constantine will be on US screens this autumn, and we’ll have to wait and see when/if it makes it to the UK.