The Punisher-- Marvel/Netflix

2017 will bring us three new Marvel series on Netflix-- Iron Fist, The Defenders and... The Punisher, which began filming last week (first set photos here). Steve Lightfoot from Hannibal will be the showrunner.

Starring Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, The Punisher picks up Frank's story after the events of Daredevil S2.

Set photos confirm that Daredevil's Debra Ann Wohl will be appearing as Karen Page, the only person who was sympathetic to Frank's plight in DD S2.

Also appearing will be Ebon Moss-Rachbach as Frank (and Skye/Daisy/Quake) ally Microchip, and Ben Barnes as the villain Jigsaw.

 

Awesome, I didn't even realize they'd started filming so soon! It sounds like we might actually get this before The Defenders. I do hope Castle will at least make a small appearance in the crossover series. And now that we actually have someone cast as Micro, it'd be neat to see him pop up on Agents of SHIELD.

Ben Barnes is an interesting choice for Jigsaw.

 

Would have greatly preferred to see S2 of JJ prior to this, though I was a fan of the characters portrayal in DD.

Berthnal must have had a big impact on the Netflix Management (along wit the 13+ million viewers of DD S2) to bump him up so quickly. Plus it's logistically sensible, given the remainder of the casts will be hip deep in Defenders it gives Netflix the opportunity to have another property out there in 2017 without having to worry about casting schedules etc.

Plus Steve Lightfoot was an exceptional writer on Hannibal so the chances of the series having "something to say" (rather than wall-to-wall violence) is pretty decent.

Netflix sure know how to court writing talent, as although each of the seasons produced so far have been flawed, they have been rich, unique stories with distinct styles and themes

Hugo - still to finish LC

 

Both this article and another one I read point out that Jigsaw is only identified as Billy Russo, a friend of Frank's from his time in the Marines. So it sounds like he at least won't be starting out as Jigsaw.

 

The spinoff I most want to see is Misty Knight. Or Daughters of the Dragon.

Bernthal did an impressive job, but I dislike the idea of the Punisher as a protagonist.

 

Largely agreed on both points. DotD are a vastly under-rated duo in Marvel lore, and I would love to see them done justice.

I'm not really a huge fan of the Punisher myself. I think he works best in an antagonistic role rather than the lead. However, I do have faith in Marvel that this show will be more than a mindless "Dirty Harry" type shoot-'em-up.

 

Yeah. What I like about the Netflix shows is that its heroes are practically the only ones in the MCU who show any reluctance to kill. The Agents of SHIELD do tend to use nonlethal "ICER" guns when they can, but they're still willing to kill, sometimes out of tactical necessity and sometimes out of sheer murderous vengeance (though that did ultimately get portrayed as a mistake that the character in question regretted). And the movie characters are quite casual about killing, even when their comics equivalents are historically known for having no-kill policies (which was the norm for comic-book heroes until characters like the Punisher and Wolverine came along). But even though the Netflix shows are supposedly the "darker" ones, their heroes have a stronger commitment to avoiding lethal force. Daredevil makes a point of not being a killer, though he's quite violent otherwise and there are instances where that commitment was imperfectly kept, let's say. Jessica Jones was willing to kill in one instance, but in general she avoided going that far. And Luke Cage is just about the noblest, purest hero in the whole MCU -- he hardly even cusses, let alone killing. (Captain America is generally the archetype of pure, noble heroism, but he is a soldier and a killer when necessary.)

So the Punisher, whose whole deal is killing bad guys, feels incongruous in that context. As an antagonist, sure, he fits in, since the Netflix villains are prone to shocking degrees of violence and brutality. But as a protagonist, he's very much the odd one out. I agree that the show is likely to treat him as a conflicted antihero and won't glorify his use of deadly force, but it's still a change of pace, to put it mildly.

 

Bumping the thread with some casting news...

http://comicbook.com/2016/10/25/netflix-marvels-the-punisher-adds-five-new-cast-members/

 

Cool. I loved Jaime Ray Newman on Eureka.

 

I was wondering if Martin Soap would appear in this show. Unless I missed something, if he will, it doesn't look like it'll happen this season.

 

Set pics. Frank "borrows" a police car.

 

Filming has wrapped.

I must say that Marvel's veil of secrecy seemed to lay heavy over this production. Very, very little in the way on news or set pix during the shoot, especially as compared to, say, The Defenders.

 

Even The Defenders hasn't had many leaks. Just some set photos here and there, but nothing revealing. Hell, we don't even know what's the story for the series (other than something something The Hand).

 

I loved Welcome Back Frank, but they tried that (partly) with Thomas Jane and butchered it, but I would like to see parts of it (nothing against polar bears).

 

Some set pics of Frank in battle-gear have surfaced.

https://mobile.twitter.com/FantastikMarvel/status/852490117021413378/photo/1

 

That's pretty cool. I like how the skull is brighter and more obvious then on his end of season shirt on Daredevil. I finished DD Season 2 a few days ago (after having given up on it 5 episodes in when I first tried to watch it), and Punisher was a highlight. This version will never beat Thomas Jane as my favorite Punisher, but he was pretty solid and I'm definitely interested to see a series about him.

 

Holy shit, I actually agree with you.

 

Well, that was with half the story. When I decided to go through Daredevil season 2 and finish it no matter what, I was able to put him in a different perspective. Mainly I stopped comparing him to Thomas Jane's Punisher so much. I do think Netflix Punisher got too emotional once or twice, but having rewatched Punisher Warzone inbetween my attempt to watch DD Season 2 and now, being a bit over emotional is much better then being a living emotionless robot like the Warzone Punisher.

So, I could have done with a bit less emotion during his roof scene with Daredevil, but he gets better as the show goes on, while not becoming some emotionless killer like the Warzone version. I'll always like the Thomas Jane version better, but with all of DD Season 2's Punisher stuff now seen, I've reevaluated my thoughts. The Netflix Punisher can be pretty badass while still coming off as human.

I also reevaluated Elektra and ended up liking her fairly well (although not as much as the modern comics version), which isn't relevant to the Punisher show but is something I'm hoping we see in Defenders or at least DD Season 3. On a connected note, does anyone know if Punisher is getting a cameo in Defenders? I don't know if it would make sense, but it would be cool.

 

I think he will be in it some capacity along with Elektra .
I have to admit, I am shocked and impressed you actually changed your mind.