28-DEC-2011 All because I was reading the latest issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK at Comic Fusion today, I started to think about the character of John Constantine.

Back before I had a clue about HELLBLAZER and the actual character, the movie CONSTANTINE came out starring Keanu Reeves. I was able to be completely entertained by the film because I had no preconceived notions about who he was. Constantine meant nothing to me. Well, now he does and I see why fans were outraged in 2005. Reeves was a horrible choice.

My “perfect” choice would be someone far too old for the role today: none other than Michael Caine who appeases comic nerds with his portrayal of Alfred in Nolan’s BATMAN franchise. If we could make a HELLBLAZER movie with a Caine about 40 years younger than he is today, we’d have a sure fire hit on our hands.

This lead me to thinking about MADAME XANADU. Going into the “new 52” of JLD, Xanadu was my favorite Vertigo character, close second by Delirium. I love Matt Wagner’s run on the solo Xanadu series. It was brilliant. Thus, I was pissed off when I heard she was being rolled into this hodge podge DC was calling JL DARK. I understand they wanted all their magical characters together but she and Constantine were fine where they were, bouncing around the DCU with occasional involvement in the lives of other characters. The new series has not won me over. It’s been on the chopping block for me for the past two issues but with the Enchantress/June Moone story arc wrapping up soon, I’m hanging on to it… for now.

And before you think I was finished, I drafted a soundtrack too.

So who would I cast? Check out my ideas below and post your comments!

	FIRST CHOICE:	SECOND CHOICE
JOHN CONSTANTINE (aka HELLBLAZER)	SIMON BAKER He's THE MENTALIST and he's charming, good looking, and charismatic. Stick a cigarette in his mouth and I guarantee you'll agree with me that he's the perfect Constantine.	CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY I didn't want to go the "teen heart throb" route but I know as the creator of the original graphic novel EVERLAST, CMM has found a brand new break-in of success within comics. I didn't want to like him... then I google searched and found this image and thought, yes, possibly a Constantine right there.
MADAME XANADU	RESHMA SHETTY She plays Divya on ROYAL PAINS and from the list, you'll notice I watch a lot of USA/NBC Networks.	SOFIA VERGARA I just had to fit her in somewhere!
BOSTON BRAND (aka DEADMAN)	CHANNING TATUM The human body is not meant to move as his does. He defies gravity, physics, and everything else sciency. In fact, I don't think he's human.	CHRISTIAN KANE He was seriously sexy on ANGEL and now he's been a steady bad boy with mad merc skills on LEVERAGE for years.
SHADE the Changing Man	TAYLOR KITSCH	I'm sorry but there is no second choice for this. From the moment I saw Shade in JLD, there was only one person in my mind and it was Taylor Kitsch. It's as though the artist was using him as a model for each panel.
ENCHANTRESS	LAURA PREPON Most known from THAT 70s SHOW but I'm only familiar with her from guest appearances on CASTLE and HOUSE.	JERI RYAN Sure, she was everybody's favorite Borg back in the day but she rocks in her role as Chief Medical Examiner on BODY OF PROOF.
ZATANNA ZATARA	COURTNEY HENGGELER She played Sheldon's smoking hot twin sister on THE BIG BAND THEORY.	SARAH SHAHI You may recognize her from USA's FAIRLY LEGAL show. Seriously, google image her and you'll thank me...after a couple hours by yourself.
Not part of the team but prominent in the series:DOVE and JUNE MOONE	DOVE I wouldn't mind seeing portrayed by BREA GRANT Maybe it's because Brea's white hair is iconic but it's also that she's a big ol' nerd. She's a comic creator as well as an actress.	JUNE MOONE would be lovely as SOFIA VASSILIEVA

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.