Only days after Marvel TV boss Jeph Loeb talked about an in-development INCREDIBLE HULK TV show at NYCC, news has surfaced that another classic character may be coming to the small screen. According to reports, Fox are bringing a pilot for THE PUNISHER into production. The project comes from ABC studios and CRIMINAL MINDS director/writer/producer Ed Bernero.
The Punisher, also known as Frank Castle, has so far seen mixed fortunes in live action adaptations. Dolph Lundgen first portrayed the character in the much-berated 1989 film THE PUNISHER, followed by Thomas Jane in a 2004 movie of the same name, and Ray Stevenson in 2008’s PUNISHER: WARZONE. All versions to date have been critical flops. However, the character has huge potential, and under the right direction could be a huge smash.
Unlike his Marvel Comics contemporaries, Frank Castle is a straight-up vigilante – a former marine whose family were massacred by the mob, he dedicates his life to serving justice to those considered above the law. With the aid of some serious heavy artillery, Castle has been taking on gangsters, crooked authority figures and honest-to-god villains for the best part of 37 years. The character’s finest hour came in Garth Ennis’ violent comic series in which he based an aging castle on Clint Eastwood.
The new TV version of the character will be slightly different, as this time around he will be NYPD cop by day and vigilante by night.
No details on casting have been confirmed to date.
Source: Deadline
