'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