Keanu Reeves is returning for a Constantine sequel with original director Francis Lawrence

Keanu Reeves' John Constantine is so skilled in the supernatural that he just resurrected himself after 17 years. That's right — a Constantine sequel is happening, and Reeves is returning to play the iconic character.

EW has confirmed that the actor is reteaming with Warner Bros. and Francis Lawrence, the director of the 2005 film, for another adventure following the cursed exorcist and demonologist from DC's Hellblazer comics. The screenplay will be written by Akiva Goldsman, who's also producing alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella. Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Erwin Stoff are on board as executive producers.

Reeves has long been open about his desire to reprise his role as the chain-smoking, trench-coat-wearing hero. Speaking to Stephen Colbert last year, he said Constantine was the one character he wanted to return to most. "I would love to be John Constantine again," he said. "I've tried."

Richard Foreman/Warner Bros. Keanu Reeves in 'Constantine'

During a 15th-anniversary panel at San Diego Comic-Con the year before, Goldsman revealed that there had already been numerous attempts to make a Constantine sequel, but the box office earnings weren't enough to impress the studio.

"We wanted to make… a hard-R sequel," he said. "I think we'd probably make it tomorrow. Yes, we tried a lot of different ways to find… it was always to the studios who made it, which were Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. It was always a little bit of a feathered fish."

Deadline Hollywood first reported the sequel news.

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