When Guillermo Del Toro dropped out of directing Warner Bros.' Justice League Dark aka Dark Universe, many took that to mean the project had been shelved. That was never the case, simply by the fact the studio had never fully committed to it, anyway. It did seem like a Del Toro passion project, though, and the chances of it getting made with another director were pretty slim. Or so we thought, as uber-producer Scott Rudin (Steve Jobs) has apparently come on board to shepherd the film which is being eyed for a 2016 shoot.
The news comes from two sources, The Tracking Board and CBM, the latter reporting the film will be set in DC's Extended Universe. When Del Toro was attached he said the team of supernatural heroes would consist of John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Zatanna, and Etrigan The Demon. They will operate independently from the Justice League but we can expect to see some crossover at a later date. Basically it will be similar to the Suicide Squad, only with more demons and dark magic.
A screenplay is still being "tweaked" by an unnamed writer, with the plot having Constantine form a group of heroes familiar with the arcane to stop a madman who has stolen a series of ancient tomes capable of destroying the world.
Now that Dark Universe is being seen as a studio priority, we should expect to hear more on a director soon and maybe even casting. Sorry Matt Ryan fans but he won't be playing Constantine on the big screen, so you'll have to check out Arrow to see him next.
