Netflix and Marvel are set to continue their unrivalled conquest of superhero television after announcing a full season of Marvel’s The Punisher. Following on from his performance in the generally well received second season of the Netflix series Marvel’s Daredevil, Jon Bernthal will reprise the role of Frank Castle AKA The Punisher. Both Jon Bernthal’s performance as the conflicted and compelling anti-hero and his character arc were the highlights of the second series and it was inevitable that Netflix would heed the call of fans clamouring for a solo run.
Steve Lightfoot (Hannibal) will serve as executive producer and showrunner as well as penning the first two episodes. He said it was the “complexity” and “unpredictability” of the character which made him such an exciting character.
Cindy Holland, Netflix Vice President of Original Content said, “Jon hooked our global audience with his performance as Frank Castle from the moment he stepped on screen in ‘Marvel’s Daredevil,’ and we are looking forward to seeing more of him in this role under the vision of Steve Lightfoot”.
Marvel’s The Punisher is the sixth Marvel series ordered by Netflix including the award winning Marvel’s Jessica Jones and upcoming series’ Marvel’s Luke Cage, Marvel’s Iron Fist, and eventually Marvel’s The Defenders. It will also likely continue the trend of darker, grittier characters and writing that has been present in both Daredevil and Jessica Jones. This is likely due to the freedoms these series have over the big tentpole releases of Marvel’s cinematic franchise.
This greater freedom and positive reception is good news for the character of ‘The Punisher’ who’s previous cinematic outings including The Punisher (2004) and Punisher: War Zone (2008) did poorly at the box office. Bernthal is the fourth actor to play the character.
Words By: Tim Goodfellow
Photo: Netflix