Thomas Jane To Star in Punisher TV series?

July 16, 2012 By Ciaran 8 comments

Will Marvel bring The Punisher to the small screen?

Is a Punisher TV series in the works? Marvel Studios haven’t announced anything official regarding their television plans since it was revealed A.K.A Jessica Jones wouldn’t be picked up for a pilot, however our sources understand that Thomas Jane really wants to continue playing The Punisher. Now that the rights have reverted, and with Marvel being very keen to extend their cinematic universe through television, we might well be seeing the early makings of a Punisher TV show…

Jane as the titular character in the 2004 flick

Jane has made no secret of his love for the character, having played him in the 2004 film adaptation and recently reprising the role for a short film screened at this years Comic Con (which you can view here). Speaking about making the 10 minute short, which was not sanctioned by Marvel, Jane had the following to say;
    “I wanted to make a fan film for a character I’ve always loved and believed in – a love letter to Frank Castle & his fans. It was an incredible experience with everyone on the project throwing in their time just for the fun of it. It’s been a blast to be a part of from start to finish — we hope the friends of Frank enjoy watching it as much as we did making it.”
Since the short aired the other day rumours have been circulating that it was actually designed to show Marvel Studios what could be achieved with the character on a tight budget. We thought the short was brilliant and really captured the essence of the character, and reminded us just how great Jane is in the role.

Thomas Jane reprising the role of Frank Castle in the 2012 short Dirty Laundry

The short has since appeared online despite previous assurances that it was only going to be shown once at Comic-Con and never again. Leading to further speculation that Thomas Jane and co. are trying to get the short to go viral and convince Marvel that a Punisher TV series set alongside the MCU could be a potentially lucrative move.
Marvel have undoubtedly seen the unanimously positive response to the short, so maybe we will see Frank Castle again sooner rather than later! What do you guys think? Would you like to see Jane don the skull and trenchcoat on a regular basis? Could The Punisher work on TV or is it too R rated? As usual sound off below…

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  • Captain America

    To Hell with a tv show. I want a 2-hour film just like that! That’s the Punisher movie I’ve always dreamed of.

    • http://unleashthefanboy.com Ciaran

      Imagine a 40 minute weekly show though! That would be almost 15 hours of Punisher per series!!!

  • Steven

    Yep, a Tv show on a network that embraces adult themes and violence si the way to go.

    The character is suited to the format. I hate crime of the week cops shows, but imagine if Punisher was cleaning the streets up every week.

    Just look at the TV show Person of Interest, admittedly a non violent show but it does seem like a suitable formula for a Punisher Tv show.

    • http://unleashthefanboy.com Ciaran

      It would be great, Punisher strikes me as the sort of character that would greatly benefit from a more slow paced series than a movie. Plus the benefit of expanding the MCU through televisions could be great

  • raincntry

    This clip was epic. I’d love to see a real network, like HBO or Showtime take a shot at a Punisher series. If it’s done well it could be really good.

    • http://unleashthefanboy.com Ciaran

      Unfortunately I think HBO is owner by WB and can’t see them doing a Marvel show, but definitely needs to be done by a network not afraid to push the boundaries… maybe AMC or showtime?

  • Joseph

    I want Thomas Jane to play the Punisher in the TV series. He should wear a vest and coat in the tv series. There should be Punisher action figure toys in 2013.

  • Matty’O

    No doubt Jane is the man for the job. His love and respect for the character would help keep the series or movie true to the essence of what the Punisher should be. I loved his idea of making his follow-up sequel based on the classic Circle of Blood story arc and wish I had the bucks to help make that a reality, be it on the big screen or small.