‘Constantine’ Showrunner Declares Series Officially Dead, Officially

NBC’s Constantine has traversed a rocky road, suffering in ratings, enduring an accidental early cancellation, then an official one, and at long last John Constantine may have finally met his match. No amount of the supernatural can conjure salvation from Constantine’s latest fate, as showrunner Daniel Cerone says the show is officially over.

Despite efforts to find the DC drama another home after its NBC cancellation, showrunner Cerone tweeted out a lengthy update that actors would be released from their contracts:

I promised I’d share news when I had it — sadly, that news is not good. The cast and writers of Constantine are being released from their contracts. The studio tried to find a new home for the show, for which we’re forever grateful, but those efforts didn’t pan out. I’m sorry, I wasn’t provided any information on the attempts to sell the show elsewhere. All I can report is that the show is over.

Many ingredients went into this TV series. From the dedicated cast that breathed these characters to life, led by Matt Ryan as the comic-made-flesh embodiment of John Constantine, to the exceptionality talented crew that put unreal images on screen, to the original Hellblazer writers and artists who gifted us a universe.

As a general principle, writers don’t choose a writing career to achieve stardom. Whatever demons or insecurities drove them to find freedom of expression through written words generally keeps writers comfortably obscure behind their words. Nor do people choose writing as a means to financial freedom. I’d venture to guess that most who set out to write professionally never receive a paycheck for their hopeful scribbles or key strokes.

If that’s the dream of writers, than the writers of Constantine lived the dream, because we’re leaving behind wild and passionate fans who believe in and were moved by what we tried to do. To leave such a significant, dedicated and active fan base on the table — that’s the real sadness. You all deserve many years of the series we set out to make, and we’re disappointed that we couldn’t deliver that to you. The good news is that Constantine will live on for years in many more forms. But our time as caretakers has ended.

Bummer. Despite pledges from Arrow star Stephen Amell, Originals star Joseph Morgan and William Shatner to make guest appearances for a potential Season 2, Constantine is hereby no more. Could producers have mishandled the character, or is NBC to blame for the comic drama’s final defeat?