Former Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight has offered up new details regarding Jon Bernthal’s role as Frank Castle – aka The Punisher – on the sophomore season of Marvel’s hit show, with DeKnight even going so far as to say that it’s the most faithful interpretation of the musclebound villain to date.
Speaking in an interview with /Film, the scribe-cum-producer noted that while the studio’s TV adaptation won’t err toward the R-rated sensibilities of Punisher: War Zone, the fact that Daredevil exists on Netflix does grant the creative team more room to manoeuvre and experiment.
“The thing about The Punisher, and I think there are great things about each of those versions, but none of them was completely the Marvel version. And none of those movies were under the Marvel Studios banner until they recently got The Punisher back. So this is really the first time that we’re seeing the Marvel Studios from the Iron Man days, when they can control their own product, actually do this character.
“Punisher is one of my favorite characters,” DeKnight said. “I’ve talked to Jeph Loeb ever since I first met him back on Buffy about doing The Punisher. So it was a heartbreak to me to have to leave, but I knew it was in good hands and I loved everything we had started talking about about Frank Castle being in that story.”
In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson don the guise as Castle in a trio of wildly different interpretations; however, the fact that DeKnight is trumpeting the show’s creative angle could mean that fans will finally get a portrayal of The Punisher that is more in line with his comic book origins.
Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Gladitor and Elodie Yung’s Elektra, Daredevil season 2 is already shaping up to be a crowded affair, and Matt Murdock will certainly have his hands full when he returns to the grimy streets of Hell’s Kitchen next year.
Charlie Cox will return to Hell’s Kitchen as the titular vigilante when Daredevil season 2 graces Netflix in early 2016.