MCU fans have stumbled upon the ideal director to realize their vision for a new film adaptation of The Punisher. However, it’s unlikely to materialize.
A fan suggested a fascinating candidate for a reboot of The Punisher in r/MarvelStudios: neo-noir filmmaker S. Craig Zahler.
Zahler’s signature storytelling style is probably a perfect fit for a fourth iteration of The Punisher. He brings out stellar performances from his cast and frequently works with Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, and Udo Kier. Zahler’s impressive film work includes films like Bone Tomahawk (2015), Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete. His gritty films are slow-burning pivots from the comfort of realism to breathtakingly violent surrealism.
However, despite his comic book background, anyone who has ever seen his films knows that a creative marriage between Zahler and Marvel is probably not in the cards because his work is decidedly avante-garde. His skillset may be ideal for The Punisher, but the family-friendly confines of Marvel Studios would likely stifle his creative vision.
The story of Frank Castle has been adapted for the silver screen three times so far. The release of The Punisher in 1989 has a special place in Marvel history. The film starred Swedish action star Dolph Lundgren, and it was the first Marvel superhero movie ever made. The 2004 reboot of The Punisher, starring Thomas Jane, received poor critical reviews but performed well at the box office. The third film, Punisher: War Zone, starring Ray Stevenson, bombed.
Jon Bernthal currently stars as The Punisher in the Daredevil franchise. Whether or not there is room for one more standalone movie version remains to be seen.