‘My pens are down, so there’s nothing to do’: A pair of long-awaited fantasy sequels announced to much fanfare have hit the skids

If you’re a noted fan of 2007 fantasy blockbusters that then spent the next decade and a half being the subject of relentless rumors, then you’d have been thrilled beyond belief when it was officially announced that both Keanu Reeves’ Constantine and Will Smith’s I Am Legend were getting follow-ups.

The former has been in and out of development hell more times than anyone can remember, and even after it was allowed to escape the speculation began immediately that it would be drawn back in once James Gunn and Peter Safran assumed control of DC Studios as co-CEOs.

Smith’s apocalyptic vampire epic, on the other hand, was mired in the backlash and fallout from his infamous Academy Awards antics, even though Michael B. Jordan was revealed to be a surprise driving force behind the project.

Information has been scarce on both since each of them went public, and writer Akiva Goldsman frustratingly maintained the party line in an interview with The Playlist, even though the writers’ strike is a solid excuse.

“My pens are down, so there’s nothing to do. But, yeah, those are the next things I’m writing when I’m allowed to write again. And I had already begun ‘Legend 2 when we started striking, and Francis [Lawrence], Keanu, and I have broken Constantine 2. I just haven’t started typing yet.”

In short; Constantine 2 and I Am Legend 2 aren’t dead, but neither are they exactly what you’d call alive. On the plus side, it does sound as if they will be happening eventually once Goldsman is allowed to wield his pen with reckless abandon.