'We have control': Francis Lawrence is working hard with Keanu Reeves on Constantine 2 story

Francis Lawrence has been working on the story for 'Constantine 2' with Keanu Reeves and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman.

The 52-year-old filmmaker is set to helm a follow-up to the 2005 superhero movie that featured Reeves as the supernatural exorcist John Constantine and explained that progress has been delayed by the Hollywood writers' strike and a battle to obtain control of the character again.

Francis told GameSpot: "So 'Constantine 2' got obviously held up by the writers' strike. And we had to jump through a bunch of hurdles to get control of the character again, because other people had control of the Vertigo stuff. We have control.

"Keanu and Akiva Goldsman and I have been in meetings and I have been hashing out what we think the story is going to be, and there's more meetings of those that have to happen – the script has to be written – but really hoping that we get to do 'Constantine 2', and make a real R rated version of it."

Keanu had always wished to reprise his role as the exorcist and explained that he begged Warner Bros. to make the sequel.

The 59-year-old actor told Total Film magazine: "I don't know if it was unfinished business but it was definitely a role that I loved, and I thought that Francis Lawrence, the director, did such amazing work. I loved playing that character, and I really enjoyed the film.

"I was like, (adopts 'Oliver Twist' voice) 'Can I please have some more?'... I kept asking almost every year. I'd be like, 'Can I please?' (and) they'd be like, 'No, no!'"

'The Matrix' star continued: "It's exciting. It's almost like an open playground that we can hopefully cook something up and play in, and I guess get out of the playground and prepare a meal, but I'm looking forward to it, and hopefully it can happen.

"You don't know how these things go. But I'm definitely going to try my darnedest to try and realise that dream."