Not long before the premiere ofDaredevil: Born Again,The Punisherfans were treated to the delightful news thatJon Bernthalwould reprise his role as Frank Castle in a spotlight/special presentation projectcoming to Disney+ next year. One of the more exciting developments to come since the show’s announcement is that Bernthal will make his writing debut on the project, finally giving him the chance towrite Frank Castle’s storyinstead of just being tasked with bringing it to life through his performance.
Collider’sSteve Weintraubrecently caught up with Bernthal at CinemaCon to talk about his latest film,The Accountant 2, and he spoke about how he came into the writing job for his Punisher project and just how much Frank Castle means to him. “I’ve said it a million times:Frank is in my bones, is in my heart. I care about him," he shared, continuing:
“In discussing what this thing could be and this sort of version of Frank that I really felt that the audience was hungry for, that the military community was hungry for it, the first responder community, the comic book fans, they were really hungry for it. I presented that version to them, and they encouraged me.They encouraged me to keep coming to the table.As we were talking with different writers, the ideas that we were coming up with started to resonate, and I think they saw how much they resonated with me.I got a great group of vets that I work with.One in particular, my friend Nick, he’s just been incredible. I hope that it goes alright. I don’t like talking about these things because it’s a little bit of bark before there’s a bite, you know? I’m honored and I’m grateful.It’s an incredible group of people that we’re assembling.”
Frank Castle made his debut inDaredevil: Born AgainEpisode 4, and he does not hesitate to call out Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) for his unwillingness to, in his mind, do what needs to be done. Frank and Matt have always had clashing philosophies on how to handle criminals. As someone who daylights as a lawyer, Matt is proud to let the system handle things after leaving the bad guys in the hands of the authorities, but Frank’s methods are much more final. Frank lost his entire family after serving his country due to getting entangled in a deep government conspiracy that zapped him of his ability to trust anyone. Taking bad guys off the street for good isn’t just Frank’s mission; it’s his purpose. Vengeance is the only thing that will make things right.
Jon Bernthal Has His Hand in Plenty of Other Projects
While also working on hisPunisherspecial, Bernthal has a slew of other movies to promote and film this year. He’ll next be seen inThe Amateur, which starsRami MalekandRachel Brosnahanand is coming to theaters on April 11. Bernthal will also reprise his role as Braxton inThe Accountant 2just two weeks later, and the film will also return leading starsBen AffleckandJ.K. Simmons. Bernthal is currently filmingThe Odyssey, the next film fromChristopher Nolan, and he’ll star oppositePablo SchreiberinHis & Hers, the upcoming detective series.
Jon Bernthal will make his feature-writing debut onThe Punisherproject, which is expected on Disney+ next year. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the project and watchDaredevil: Born AgainonDisney+. Check out the clip with Bernthal above.
The Punisher
