Matt Ryan is the New John Constantine

The NBC Constantine pilot, based on the popular DC character, has now found its’ lead actor. Deadline reports that actor Matt Ryan, who most recently sailed the seven seas as Edward Kenway, will become the supernatural detective and conman. Centered on the detective, the pilot will tell the story of Constantine as he is pulled into doing the right thing after he discovers that the daughter of an old friend is being targeted by demons. The pilot is written by Dexter writer Daniel Cerone and David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel) and will be directed by Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones).

Where’s the trench coat?

With Constantine’s affiliation with the Justice League Dark, and some darker story lines from his Vertigo days, it will be interesting to see what possible cameos and plot lines the writers could throw our way, should the show get picked up by NBC. The casting of the Welsh actor shows that the series is looking to preserve the character’s British origins, unlike the 2006 film starring Keanu Reeves, and Deadline notes the character’s blonde hair and trench coat. Given Ryan’s performance as the bashful and ambitious Edward Kenway in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the actor should have no trouble adapting to the land of the dead. Stay tuned to We The Nerdy for more Constantine and DC news as we inch closer to the premiere of this and other DC inspired series.