Today in inevitable news, Netflix has ordered a spinoff for The Punisher, starring everyone’s favorite brutal vigilante from Daredevil season 2, Frank Castle! Hannibal‘s Steve Lightfoot will serve as executive producer and showrunner of the newest Marvel series, penning the first two episodes of the full first season order. Jon Bernthal will reprise his role of bringing “justice” to Hell’s Kitchen alongside Marvel’s other Netflix series Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, and the upcoming ensemble miniseries The Defenders. Whether Frank will join his fellow crimefighters in The Defenders has yet to be confirmed, but now that he has his own series, it seems likely he’ll at least get a cameo.
Jeph Loeb, executive producer of the series and head of Marvel Television, said in the press release:
We want to thank the fans who are clamoring for more of Jon’s stunning and powerful performance as Frank Castle from Marvel’s Daredevil. Now combined with [s]howrunner Steve Lightfoot’s compelling writing, we’re thrilled to bring Marvel’s The Punisher to Netflix.
Lightfoot shared his excitement to tell more morally ambiguous stories in Hell’s Kitchen:
For me, the complexity and unpredictability of Frank Castle make him an incredibly compelling character and I couldn’t be more excited to dive into his world. After watching Jon’s performance in Marvel’s Daredevil I could not be more excited to be working with him to further develop and progress the story of this anti-hero in a show of his own.
When asked about the possibility of a Punisher series a few months ago, Bernthal said:
This guy is very much burned into my heart and soul. I think about him all the time. And I look at it the same way Frank would look at it. I’m a soldier, man. If they call on me, I’ll stand to attention and I’ll be ready.
No release date has yet been announced.
