First picture of the Punisher - official The Punisher movie chat

I believe thats Thomas Jane from Dreamcatcher.......

 

Only movie with Jane I have seen is Deep Blue Sea.


I never did get that refund.... or those 2 hours of my life back.


(though I did laugh like crazy when Sam Jackson was giving a phony "we can pull through" speeches and the shark got him....)

 

[image=http://www.further-adventures.com/pics/sniktbub.jpg]

[image=http://atlas.imagemagician.com/images/ourmanflint1/modsquad.jpg]

[image=http://www2.arkansas.net/~arkieboy/punisher1.jpg]

 

That last pic should be the costume for the movie!

*laughs to death*

 

[image=http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/glasphalt/punisher_blank.jpg]

 

New Punisher poster - here

 

John Travolta to play the villain?? - article here

 

This is so wrong. I honestly believe that just as the Punisher really doesn't rate a series of his own (even if Mr. Garth Ennis is writing a brilliant series right now), neither did he deserve a movie, even back then in the early 90's nor now. And Mr. Jane is the last guy I'd have in mind to play the Punisher. He just doesn't look like Frank Castle to me. anyways, it'd be better if you coulda snuck him in as a secondary villain in a Spider-Man sequel or even (God forbid) a Daredevil sequel.

 

Now that Travolta's on board as the villian, my exitment for this movie has just plummeted. Remember his bad guy roles in Broken Arrow and Face/Off? Expect the scenary to be chewed up and spit out by Mr. Travolta in Punisher as well.

 

I actually liked Travolta in Broken Arrow and loved him in Face/Off. IMO, he was also quite good in Swordfish. Battlefield:Earth on the other hand....retch!!!

I would not be too excited about this movie if it weren't for Thomas Jane being in the lead role. While he needs the black hair and might not jump right out at you for the part, he is a good actor. He and Jason Lee almost made Dreamcatcher watcheable, and if you really want to see him in good form, I recommend renting the film Boogie Nights. He has a small role, but the screentime he gets really leaves an impression on you.

 

My excitement for the project has gone down a bit too with the casting of John Travolta as the villian. Oh well.

 

Just heard of Travolta being cast ....

Not sure how I feel. He's kinda been hit and miss over the years. His latest film, Basic is quite good, and he's really buffed up, so I'll stay optimistic about this.

Though I'd have preferred DeNiro or another A-list Italian mod stereotype as the main villian.

Accordin to an interview with Avi Arad on MTV, Travolta will play Saint, a criminal-turned-socialite who becomes vengeful after Castle plays an indirect role in his son's death.

"We didn't want to do a cliché villain," explained Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad, who is heading up "The Punisher" with Artisan Pictures. "We are going for a dignified businessman [who is] cold but almost charming. And we are going to see his world fall apart like he made Frank's world fall apart. ... There is a lot of pain to what happens to Saint in this movie. And we needed an actor who can carry a real emotional journey."

 

The entire story, found at ThePunisher.com:

John Travolta must be looking to get whacked, because he's signed on to play the lead villain in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of "The Punisher."

Based on the Marvel Comics antihero, "The Punisher" will follow the exploits of former special forces operative Frank Castle, who becomes a brutal vigilante after his family is slain by the mob. Thomas Jane ("Boogie Nights") will tackle the title role, while Travolta will play Saint, a criminal-turned-socialite who becomes vengeful after Castle plays an indirect role in his son's death.

"We didn't want to do a cliché villain," explained Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad, who is heading up "The Punisher" with Artisan Pictures. "We are going for a dignified businessman [who is] cold but almost charming. And we are going to see his world fall apart like he made Frank's world fall apart. ... There is a lot of pain to what happens to Saint in this movie. And we needed an actor who can carry a real emotional journey."

Originally launched in the pages of "Spider-Man," the Punisher once headlined three monthly titles of his own until overexposure crushed the character's popularity. Though one supernaturally themed relaunch was a dud, the gritty back-to-basics approach of comic scribe Garth Ennis ("Preacher") put the Punisher back into the good graces of fans and critics. The Punisher film, screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh's ("Armageddon") directorial debut, will draw from Ennis' "Welcome Back Frank" storyline.

"We are really into 'Welcome Back Frank,' " Arad said. "It's great characters. It's going to be obviously a hard movie, but there were also great scenes [in the comics] that were almost funny."

Arad also points to comic-turned-movie "Road to Perdition" as inspiration. "We'd like to take the Punisher saga and turn it into a real interesting film about emotions, about punishment, and deal both with the hero and the villain evenhandedly as people first and see what happens when the shoe is on the other foot. And you really need great actors to pull it off."

Though most critics found Thomas Jane effective in the romantic comedy "The Sweetest Thing," diehard Punisher fans have expressed skepticism about whether or not he can pull off the toughened Castle. But Arad has no doubts.

"There is something about Thomas that worked so well for us with Jennifer [Garner] as Elektra and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. You don't want to just get a man of steel ? you want a man of steel with a bleeding heart. You want someone who cares and therefore you're going to care for him. Thomas Jane, he has soulful eyes. I see him as a cross between Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood. And he has that thing about him ? when he is sad, you feel like crying with him. And when he is mad? Watch out.

"The one thing these Delta Forces guys have over everybody is that they're really decent people although they're trained to be the best of the best [at killing]," he added. "And that's the spirit of Frank. He is not a guy who enjoys pulling a trigger. On the contrary, he has a lot to lose. That's why this movie is going to be so dramatic. Between Thomas Jane and some other casting that is coming down in the next couple of weeks, you are going to look at this and say, 'Wait a minute, that's an art-house movie.' "

Any art-house leanings will be a far cry from Hollywood's first take on "The Punisher." A low-budget "Punisher" film starring Dolph Lundgren ("Rocky IV") in 1989 was a flop, dismissed for its low production values and for deviating from the established Punisher mythos. And most noticeably, Lundgren didn't wear the Punisher's signature skull T-shirt.

Arad promises Jane will. "And the costume has been improved. You'll see. It's not just a piece of graphics. It stands for something very simple but very emotional."

Travolta is currently shooting the firefighter drama "Ladder 49," but "The Punisher" is scheduled to begin filming as soon as July with Artisan eyeing a summer 2004 relea

 

Thanks for posting that article Wild_Karrde. It helped raise my expectations for the film.

 

Access Hollywood should have more Punisher tidbits soon...today or Monday

edit: forget my last...its just the teaser poster we all saw already!

 

[color=663300]Looks pretty lame to me. I think Marvel is going WAY too far with their movies. [/color]

 

I think only Spider-Man and X-Men movies should be made. No Hulk, No punisher, No Flash, No Fnatastic Four and please, No more Daredevil.

Darth_Tyrannous The canadian signature and Sacramento Kings signature, representing C-WEBB and the boys for life

 

From IGN:

June 06, 2003 - Superhero Hype pointed the way towards an interview that Thomas Jane did with USA Today wherein the actor discusses the physical training he's undergoing for his lead role in Marvel/Artisan's revamp of The Punisher. Jane tells the paper that he is training with U.S. Navy SEALs in Huntington Beach where he's learning, among other things, weapons training.

"The stuff on the wires and all that crazy dancing that was done so well in Crouching Tiger is beautiful, but it's not very real world. We're kind of going back to old-fashioned days ? serious hand-to-hand combat without all the trickery and dancing," Jane advised USA Today. "Stylized violence is a way of stepping away from violence and making it palatable. With (The Punisher), we inject a sense of here's what happens when it really goes down."

"I've done a few action films now, and it's very popular to try to do all the stunts yourself ? until the insurance company steps in and says no," Jane adds. "No film is going to ever go beyond that" due to expenses that would occur should the actor become injured.

The Punisher begins filming next month in Tampa Bay, Florida under the direction of Jonathan Hensleigh. John Travolta also stars as the film's villain.

 

So... anyone else catch The Punisher teaser on Access Hollywood today??????????

It was... uh... pretty interesting. It really didn't hype me up for this film at all. I'm excited for it, but I'm almost a little less excited. Either way, you'll catch it on Friday with The Hulk

 

So will this Punisher be Decaf!Frank, or "I-shoot-kids-for-littering-and-ran-over-Wolverine-with-a-steamroller" Frank?

 

So apparently they have a description of the teaser on Superherohype.com, but who cares about a description when you can just watch the teaser yourself here!

After watching that a couple of times, I have to say it actually excites me now. The thing is, at first I thought he still had blonde hair, like in the photo. Although, after watching it again, you can see that it's black hair, which makes me happy. Because really The Punisher is a black and white character, so the Punisher with blonde hair just doesn't fit the black and white color scheme.

Also, Waning Drill, from what I understand, this sound like it will be "I shoot kids..." punisher. Not decaf punisher.

 

The word is the Official Site will have it up on Friday.

As a long time Punisher fan and owner of ALL the Punisher's comics series to date (Someday ASM 129 will be mine!), I liked what was done in the teaser and it gives enough information to people that don't know who the Punisher is.

The attitude was good and the mood is nice and dark... if the final film combines this with the comics approach to the character (origin/continuity changes notwithstanding), then it ought to be very good comic based film and a nice action/thriller.

Can't wait to see the trailer...

 

Yeah, I really liked that they give all the information that is needed to those who know nothing about him in the teaser. They got the idea across that this man really could release vengeance... no wait... punishment on anyone he wanted to. I really can't wait to see a full trailer either. Although I doubt we'll see one until December or November. It will probably have a similar marketing campaign to the Hulk: get the teaser out a year in advance, then release a full trailer in Dec or Jan, then release a 2nd trailer closer to it's release date.

 

Yes, since filming begins this month, it probably won't be until Christmas time until they release a trailer...
I'd prefer that they release one and that's it... the Punisher is an essentially simple concept (Hence the signature!) and too much can be given away in two trailers.
If they have more trailers, then I'd be happy with an evolution in them, like in the T3 trailers...
At first, it seemed T3 would be rather poor and now it seems like this may be a worthy sequel.

Since Jane is training with SEALs and there are photos of him with dark hair and a bigger body, then it will be cool to see the differences between this teaser and the final trailer.
Since CG/effects isn't an issue with The Punisher, it all comes down to the acting and the action...

 

Yeah I like the idea of the T3 marketing campaign, and apparently with T3 we haven't even seen the really good stuff.

About Jane, I remember this guy from 97 in Face/Off as Hicks. He was a tiny little guy, so I really can't wait to see how much bigger he is in the film. I'm sure he'll be pretty intimidating. At least, I'm hoping so.

By the way, nice sig.