Michael J. Fox says the staying power of Back to the Future rests on a simple idea: standing up to bullies. Marking the film’s 40th anniversary, the actor argued that the story resonates because it frames both Biff and time itself as antagonists, a frame he connects to what he calls a present-day “bully culture.” “We have bullies everywhere,” he said in a recent anniversary interview.
James Gunn has addressed the status of a new Constantine film with Keanu Reeves, saying he has spoken with the star “on and off” about a follow-up but has not read a script. The DC Studios co-chair made the remarks in a recent interview, clarifying that while conversations are active, no screenplay has reached his desk. Reeves, who has pressed for a return to John Constantine, said earlier this month that another draft of the screenplay had arrived and that the team planned to take it to the studio, signaling cautious momentum after years of starts and stops. Reports around the project suggest it would be treated as an “Elseworlds” title outside DC’s core slate, a pathway used for off-continuity films.
The sequel has cycled through development since Warner Bros. first announced in 2022 that Reeves would reunite with director Francis Lawrence, with Akiva Goldsman writing. Progress slowed amid leadership changes and labor strikes, though Lawrence and Reeves have continued shaping ideas and have discussed aiming for a harder R rating than the 2005 original. In separate comments over the past year, collaborators have indicated that drafts were in play and that the creative team was intent on preserving the tone that helped the first film build a cult following.
Gunn’s update underscores how the film’s next step rests on the strength of the script and the studio’s appetite for another standalone entry. Reeves’ public enthusiasm has kept interest high, and his recent note about a fresh draft aligns with the long-running push to get a version ready for formal review by DC Studios. For fans, the clearest takeaway is that discussions continue, but a greenlight will depend on a draft that satisfies both the creative team and the executives now stewarding DC’s film strategy.
