Former The Walking Dead actor Jon Bernthal is going to be portraying one of Marvel comics’ darkest characters, Frank Castle, a.k.a. The Punisher in Netflix’s second season of Daredevil . The producers of the show have apparently been so impressed with Jon Bernthal’s performance as the ex-military anti-hero, that there is even talk of The Punisher getting his own spinoff show . Bernthal spoke with Entertainment Weekly and went into detail on playing the character and what fans can expect from Season 2.
From The Nerdist: Report: THE PUNISHER Nears a Series Order From Netflix https://t.co/N5fMI7pRx7 #sf
— scifi365 (@scifi365) January 16, 2016
Bernthal starts off by saying that he was a very big fan of Daredevil ‘s first season, along with droves of fans and critics, noting the authenticity and their approach to the comic world as something he very much admired. And, he knows just how important The Punisher is and needs to be.
“Obviously this is a character that’s resonated for a long time,” Jon says. “It’s an important character, it’s one I’m honored to play. This is a guy who means a lot to a lot of people and his character has resonate[d] with law enforcement and military. People have been coming up to me on the streets of New York saying, ‘Do not mess this up.’”
Jon Bernthal was a choice many fans were happy with when it was announced that he would be joining Daredevil as Frank Castle/The Punisher.
Netflix Already Plotting THE PUNISHER Spinoff Series Starring Jon Bernthal https://t.co/dPOuCu1WQQ pic.twitter.com/PsWrNCE57y
— ScreenRelish (@ScreenRelish) January 16, 2016
Daredevil Season 2 is going to explore Castle’s story and evolution throughout the season, Bernthal says. This wouldn’t at all be surprising, as this is exactly how Matt Murdock/Daredevil’s story arch played out, and the same goes for Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin. “It’s interesting to find this guy at the point we find him,” says Jon. “You want an evolution and a process. He starts in one place and will end up in another.”
Apparently, some within the industry have already gotten a glimpse at the second season’s first two episodes. The audience is introduced to Frank Castle early on, and from what is said in this interview, he will be dealing with some adversaries that audiences will be very excited to see Punisher take down. Bernthal hopes that viewers will be going on a roller coaster ride with the character as we cheer on his violent tactics in one instant, and in another, feel unsupportive. Such is the nature of an anti-hero.
The Punisher getting his own spin-off show would then seem like a complete no-brainer, with all of that being said. TV Line apparently has the scoop and says the streaming service is extremely close to green-lighting a separate Punisher series. If this does happen, it would be the sixth Marvel/Netflix television series to go along with Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Mike Colter’s upcoming Luke Cage show, Iron Fist and The Defenders miniseries.
NEWS: #ThePunisher spinoff under development by Netflix starring @jonnybernthal ! https://t.co/mCfisgCuEE pic.twitter.com/KdgJ9Qey1U
— Marvel News (@MarvelNewz) January 16, 2016
Daredevil fans can also expect the action sequences to be top notch, much like they were throughout the show’s first season. As violent as things got the first time around, it sounds as if Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle/The Punisher will continue on that blood reign and then some. “As this character develops into what he becomes, he becomes more violent and more raw,” Bernthal comments. The actor loves physicality, especially with this character, and how he handles danger is going to tell us a lot about who he is.
“If you thought last season of Daredevil was dark, we’re going to a whole new place,” Bernthal adds.
In any case, the actor says that he will now be able to finally start catching up on The Walking Dead with his family.
[Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Netflix]
