A few years ago (after mass shootings had really cranked up again, and “bad apple” law enforcement members kept misappropriating a certain logo), I made the argument that Marvel should put The Punisher to sleep. And I still think that should be the case as Castle was interpreted by the aforementioned parties. As well, the second season of the Netflix series lost its way when Castle took on a surrogate father role of sorts and softened up in the most awkward manner. Over all, this felt like an unintentionally coordinated existential crisis for the character as originally intended, and maybe things are about to get more confusing. Or maybe they’ll get better. Who knows!
Whatever the case, Jon Bernthal is making a Frank Castle comeback in a 2024 Marvel Studio series, Daredevil: Born Again. As already noted, Charlie Cox is on the roster to lead as Matt Murdock/Daredevil (with Vincent D’Onofrio returning as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin), and the show was described by Cox as something of a “reincarnation” and definitely “different” than what materialized on Netflix. Now, The Punisher is joining the mix for this show that’s slated for Disney+, which means that the semi-automatic-wielding Frank Freaking Castle is also going to, you know, apparently be on Disney+.
How different will Castle really be on a new streaming service? No insight has formally arrived as of yet, and The Hollywood Reporter doesn’t have many details (other than an 18-episode season will arrive in 2024), yet also notably, The Punisher will be an addition to the source material:
Born Again takes its title from a landmark Daredevil storyline published in 1986, written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzuchelli. The show is deviating from that plot, although by how much is unclear. The Punisher, for example, made no appearance in the comic story. Daredevil versus Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin, remains the focal point.
Hmm. Marvel didn’t respond yet to this report when contacted by The Hollywood Reporter, so there’s no telling what the real (and certainly tweaked) plans are for Castle. The world could always use more onscreen Jon Bernthal (he even somehow made The Bear a better show than it already was in a small yet pivotal role), so I’m willing to give this move the benefit of the doubt. I cannot envision Frank Castle arriving as-is on this reinvention of a series, but we shall see, sometime in 2024.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)