Constantine Movie Cut Michelle Monaghan’s Character TWICE

During San Diego Comic-Con 2020’s 15th Anniversary Reunion panel for Constantine, it was revealed that Michelle Monaghan had been cut from the film not once but twice. Monaghan first came to prominence alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Since then, she has featured in several critically acclaimed films and beloved blockbusters including Source Code and multiple installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise. In recent years, Monaghan has made a move to television with an acclaimed turn in True Detective season 1 and a lead role in three seasons of The Path.

In 2005, Constantine would have marked one of her first big breaks. Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film was based on the Hellblazer series of comics. Despite being typically depicted as blond and British, the character was transplanted to Los Angeles and portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Cursed with the ability to see half-angels and half-demons on Earth, a world-weary John Constantine was recruited by troubled police detective Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to investigate her twin sister’s suicide. He’s soon drawn into a hellish conspiracy with potentially world-ending consequences. Monaghan was cast as Ellie, a half-demon with whom Constantine would have had something of a relationship.

Despite filming all of her scenes, most of which were included in the DVD extras, Monaghan was ultimately cut from the film. During the panel (released via Comic-Con International), Lawrence revealed that “it sucked, calling her“. Later, however, they were given the opportunity to produce some additional scenes, within which they found a way to add her back into the plot of the film. Sadly, her scenes were subsequently cut for a second time. Here’s exactly what Lawrence had to say about it:

“I had to tell her that we were cutting all of her scenes before we got to do this pickup stuff. We then, Akiva [Goldsman] and I, came up with some new scenes and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got some new ideas and we’re gonna shoot some new stuff with you.’ She was like, ‘Great’, and she came in and we shot it and tried it and it didn’t work, and I had to call her again, a second time. The worst part was that the only piece that stayed in the movie was this moment at the end where Constantine lights the sprinklers which starts spraying the holy water. She gets hit and starts to burn, and she says, you know, surprised, ‘Holy water?’ and she hated that line. She hated that line, she hated that moment, and it ended up being the only moment of her in the movie after two attempts at various scenes.“

Though she still appeared briefly, Monaghan’s character is never named or addressed directly. As such, she served as little more than an uncredited cameo. Lawrence went onto explain why exactly Monaghan had been cut, however, citing that the reasons were entirely driven by story and not anything to do with her performance. Ellie would have been based on a Garth Ennis and Will Simpson creation named Chantinelle from the comics.

Constantine received a lukewarm reception when it was first released. Francis and those involved credit this largely to what they deem to be an unfair R-rating, which was handed down despite adhering rigidly to the PG-13 guidelines. Whatever the case, the film went onto amass a cult following that has only grown in the last 15 years. It has even received somewhat of a reappraisal from its early critics. As a result, even amid of a new incarnation emerging within the Arrowverse and talk of a JJ Abrams-produced reboot, many still long for a belated sequel to be developed. Whether or not such an idea could ever come to fruition is unclear. Should it come to pass one day, however, there’s always a chance that the third time might be the charm and Monaghan could finally bring the character to life in a new Constantine cinematic adventure.

Source: Comic-Con International

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