WRITING CONSTANTINE

This 44-minute documentary tells writer Frank Cappello’s raw and revealing story of his first Hollywood studio assignment: rewriting Constantine. What began in 1998 as a seemingly simple rewrite of a little-known comic book character from Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing spiraled into four years of “Constant-pain.” Thrown into the deep end of studio politics, Cappello took bold risks that nearly ended his career before it began. With candor and humor, he recounts the highs and crushing lows of navigating an industry where breaking rules can make or break you. Along the way, his personal life bled into the work – including his father’s brush with death, which profoundly reshaped the character from page to screen. This is not just a Hollywood war story. It’s about survival, reinvention, and the unseen cost of creating big studio films. And in a rarely told final chapter, Cappello shares the little-known tale of Constantine 2 – written with Keanu Reeves’ full support. The conclusion of this years-long odyssey is as heartbreaking, surprising, and emotional as any Hollywood ending.