Fans have been a bit weary of NBC’s upcoming series ‘Constantine’ based on the classic ‘Hellblazer’ comic book published by DC/Vertigo.  After all, they’ve already been burned once by the disappointing 2005 movie starring Keanu Reeves in the title role with black hair and, most glaringly, an American accent.  But Matt Ryan, who assumes the role in the new series, promises that the show will strive to be more accurate to the source material.

Ryan states that he has already read the first 100 issues of the original comic and intends to read the remaining 200 over the course of the next six months, in order that he and the other creators can stay as close to the original as possible.  He stated:

“Yeah, definitely. I think as with the source material, there’s so much to draw from in terms of the character and the balance of humor and wit and dark and gritty. It’s great, because John has this kind of real sarcastic, ironic British wit. It’s funny, but at the same time it’s serious and dark and gritty. It’s got it all, I think … Yeah, and we’re trying to stay as close to the source material as possible and really do the comics justice. So, hopefully, we can do that.”

It’s probably impossible to be 100% faithful to the sometimes gory, often violent ‘Hellblazer’ on network TV.  Not to mention the nudity and adult language that peppered the book.  But it sounds like they are attempting to at least mimic the original work as best they can.

Already fans have been impressed with Ryan’s overall look and demeanor.  At least he has blond hair and a British accent.  He also embodies Constantine’s overall rakish quality.

Joining Ryan in the series are Lucy Griffiths (Liv), Harold Perrineau (Manny) and Charles Halford Chas).

The show itself looks top notch in terms of production value and special effects, so here’s hoping that the show becomes a solid hit this fall when it debuts.  There are of course a lot of other supernatural shows on the air.  Will this one distinguish itself?

Maybe this new trailer hinting at Dr. Fate’s helmet will reassure fans they show will!

Source: IGN