"Punisher" series announced

[Johnny Latino Heat]

So, Marvel's Punisher should be suited for TV, right? Just a guy getting on by killing crooks to avenge his dead family. But of course, they had to fuck it up.

Fox has bought an hour-long drama from ABC Studios based on The Punisher, expanding Marvel's television development slate to five live-action series. The project has been given a put-pilot commitment, meaning the pilot is guaranteed to be put into production.

Deadline reports the adaptation, from Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero, will transform the comic book antihero Frank Castle into a rising-star detective in the New York Police Department who moonlights as a vigilante, seeking justice for those the courts have failed. Bernero will executive produce along with Marvel.

The Punisher joins The Incredible Hulk, Cloak & Dagger, AKA Jessica Jones and Mockingbird in the pipeline from ABC Studios and corporate sibling Marvel. It's the first Marvel series to be sold outside of Disney-owned ABC.

Created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru, the Punisher debuted in 1974 as an ex-Marine driven by the gangland execution of his wife and two children to wage a one-man war against the mob. A brutal vigilante with a willingness to torture and kill, the character was an unlikely addition to the Marvel Universe in the 1970s but, nonetheless, became a staple of the publisher's line, supporting several titles at the height of his popularity in the 1980s.

Frank Castle also has spawned three movies — the latest, 2008′s Punisher: War Zone, was a box-office flop, becoming one of the lowest-grossing movies based on a Marvel property — and even appeared, in kid-friendly form, on Spider-Man: The Animated Series and The Super Hero Squad Show.

The Punisher marks the second comics-based series for Fox since the cancellation in May of Human Target. Just last month the network gave a script commitment to an adaptation of The Spectre, the DC Comics' hooded Spirit of Vengeance.

Source

I don''t even... Why mess with the character like this?! It's not like it's brain surgery. Ex-soldier gets his family murdered, goes on killing criminals. What's wrong with that?! They HAVE to make him a detective that pursues criminals that slip away? Fuck that.

[thatblindgeye]

I dont know. I have always wondered what Dexter would be like on a network like FOX.

[Guest Ant]

Yeah they seem to have crossed the Dexter dynamic with Batman somewhat.

I'll reserve judgment until the pilot is filmed and if/when it goes to TV. Hopefully they will get a top actor to play the role though. It needs an actor of high calibre to give it any chance of success if the description stays as it is.

[TKz]

It seems to me like The Punisher needs to be made into a Sons of Anarchy style show, gritty, dark and violent. From the creator of Criminal Minds seems like it'll end up as a generic cop case of the week. I guess we'll see.

[apsham]

From their perspective I can see why the change was made - casual viewer might not know the motivation for an hour of killing criminals and while that works well for a movie, a television series would need a character that has.. more redeeming qualities to him. I think it could be an interesting show - it'll just be weird to see Punisher in a different way than normal. Hopefully they still keep a dark edge about the whole thing.

[Maxx]

If you're going to make The Punisher into a TV show, you do it right, otherwise why bother? Why not just create a whole new character and not piss off the fan base? FX is the only basic cable network that should be handling The Punisher.

[LexChaney]

Thomas Jane was the worst punisher I have ever seen. The guy in Warzone was actually good. It can go either way really. Hopefully maybe they show him being a detective with his family still alive and for it to show us the death of them maybe in his work that the courts failed to protect his family in a case or something. Maybe do it over two episodes so you see it and get a feel for it. If it goes straight in with the deaths you can't really know how much his life will have changed from before to being the punisher. Fuck knows really how they can cross it with him still being a detective. Sounds like Dexter and Max Payne put together. I can't really think of any actor to play him. Fuck Jane. Maybe the warzone guy?

Edited October 25, 2011 by Sexy Lexy

[Johnny Latino Heat]

Thomas Jane was the worst punisher I have ever seen. The guy in Warzone was actually good. It can go either way really. Hopefully maybe they show him being a detective with his family still alive and for it to show us the death of them maybe in his work that the courts failed to protect his family in a case or something. Maybe do it over two episodes so you see it and get a feel for it. If it goes straight in with the deaths you can't really know how much his life will have changed from before to being the punisher. Fuck knows really how they can cross it with him still being a detective. Sounds like Dexter and Max Payne put together. I can't really think of any actor to play him. Fuck Jane. Maybe the warzone guy?

They clearly need to bring back Dolph Lundgren.

[LexChaney]

Baha. Dolph was and is a god to me after the first punisher. He had the look and no emotion down to the finest detail.