07/29/2010 - MTV Asks, Who Should Play the Next Punisher?

Since it’s way too early to expect any hard details about potential Punisher film projects, a lot of folks are dreaming up their ideal Punisher movie… including MTV in their “Secret Identity” feature.

Announced at the Marvel Studios panel at Comic-Con, the rights for the Punisher have returned to Marvel, allowing the studio to put their character back on the big or small screen in anyway that they see fit. It’s excellent news for Castle fans who feel the character hasn’t gotten the proper live-action treatment he deserves. With Marvel back at the helm, it’s a sure bet that Punisher is going to head back to theaters with a vengeance sometime in the near future.

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07/28/2010 - Animated Punisher Reference

A cabby reads the newspaper, the front page of which has a story about the Punisher. Is it a hint at a future animated film for Frank Castle?! Perhaps a reference to Thomas Jane’s boner for Taxi Driver?! Let your imagination run wild!

All we know is, it’s from the trailer for “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” (as seen on CBR) and we have GPA forum member Clash to thank for pointing it out.

07/24/2010 - Marvel gets Punisher movie license back, reportedly planning new film

Is our boy coming back to the big screen? From Cinema Blend:

Hollywood has tried and failed to make a decent movie out of Marvel’s Punisher comics three times now. You’d think they’d be ready to cry uncle, but today at Marvel’s Comic Con panel, company head Kevin Feige revealed that they’re doing it again.

Feige says that the character is under the welcoming roof of Marvel Studios now and they want to take their own shot at it. Specifically he said he’s hoping for a “Frank Castle” movie shortly, using the real name for Punisher’s vigilante character. Does that suggest they’ll do something more focused on the personal life of Castle? Something more rooted in reality without all the weird black outfits and crazed lust for vengeance? Personally I don’t see the point. They’ve tried everything there is to try with this character, the most recent try was Punisher: War Zone back in 2008. It’s really time someone said stop and let it go. But Marvel, it seems, thinks fourth time is the charm. Here comes The Punisher, yet again.

For more complete Comic Con coverage go here.

My two cents? To say Hollywood “failed” in making the Punisher movies isn’t accurate. Sure, things have been pretty ugly with Punisher films if you pay attention to the situations that surround them… the 1989 Dolph Lundgren version didn’t even get in to theaters in the US and neither 2004′s Thomas Jane film or 2008′s “War Zone” drew in enough of a theater audience to make a financial splash. Despite that, I find all of them have moments that make them completely worthy of our hero’s name (though I’ll always be partial to War Zone for coming closest to the source material.)

My public service announcement is this: being cynical won’t pay off for us bystanders (I’m talking to you, Cinema Blend!) Let the film makers do their thing and have the final product speak for itself. Let’s all hope that Marvel bringing the character they introduced back in to their own studios delivers satisfaction to all of us… fans and film makers alike.

Of course, that all goes out the window if it’s Franken-Castle we’re talking about.