Constantine Pilot: First Image of John Constantine Released

The first image of Welsh actor Matt Ryan as John Constantine, the DC/Vertigo scoundrel around whom NBC's upcoming Constantine pilot is based, has been released online. That's him, if you can't tell, on the far right. The "We Love You Sarah" is in service of "Slates for Sarah," a Facebook group that asked Hollywood productions to acknowledge Sarah Elizabeth Jones, who was killed during an accident on the set of Midnight Rider. Tributes have sprung up all over Hollywood, including an onscreen "In memoriam" credit during the March 2 episode of AMC's The Walking Dead. The Slates For Sarah Facebook page appears to be where the photo originated online.

Constantine's look is a far cry from Keanu Reeves's American pretty boy, and about as faithful an adaptation as anyone could hope to see. That tracks with writer David S. Goyer's (also in the photos here) claims that the show would fall closer to the comic book source material than did the film. Of course, that in itself may be a gamble. While the hardcore fans were upset by lack of fidelity to the source material, Reeves's Constantine does have its fans...and they're as likely as comic book readers to watch the TV pilot. The series started shooting this week and is expected to air on NBC in the fall, with a likelihood that pre-screenings and advertising for the show will kick off around the time of San Diego Comic Con International if the network plans to see it through to series.