Filmmaker Neil Marshall has signed on to direct the first episode of NBC's Constantine, just two weeks after the network ordered the pilot.

David S. Goyer and Daniel Cerone wrote the pilot script, which is based on the DC Comics title Hellblazer, created by Alan Moore. The John Constantine character made his debut in a 1985 issue of The Saga Of The Swamp Thing, before getting his own comic book Hellblazer in 1988. The comic ran for over 300 issues, following this magician and con man who reluctantly becomes a supernatural detective, protecting humans from supernatural forces. DC rebooted the series under their New 52 initiative in 2012.

Our report from last week hinted that this version of Constantine may be set in London, going back to the comic book's roots, although that has not been confirmed. The 2005 theatrical adaptation Constantine starred Keanu Reeves as the title character, though he was American, not British.

The series will also feature a character named Chas, who was played by a very young Shia LaBeouf before his career took off with the Transformers franchise. In the NBC series, Chas will be a middle-aged taxi driver who is called upon to provide muscle for Constantine. Other characters include Manny and Liv, who appear to have been created specifically for the series. Liv is rumored to be Constantine's love interest, but that has not been confirmed.

No production schedule was given for the Constantine pilot episode. Neil Marshall is best known for directing films such as The Descent, Doomsday and Centurion, but he has also directed two episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones, and the pilot of Starz's new pirate series Black Sails.