The Raid remake writer once pitched a Punisher/Nick Fury film to Marvel
By Erik Swann
The Raid’s Adam G. Simon previously approached Marvel Studios about a potential Punisher movie.
The Punisher has had stints on both the big and small screens over the past few decades, with all achieving varying degrees of success. More recently, Frank Castle left a mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Netflix’s acclaimed TV series. But if The Raid‘s Adam G. Simon had gotten his way, the antihero’s MCU entrance could have played out very differently.
Simon, a longtime fan of the Punisher, recently revealed to ComicBook.com that he had the opportunity to pitch a feature film starring Frank Castle to Marvel Studios. The Point Blank scribe pitched this years before the Netflix series debuted and, despite being a fan of the show, he thinks it slightly limited its star, Jon Berenthal:
"“I appreciated the hyper-stylized, big stick approach of War Zone and the Thomas Jane version of Frank Castle in the feature, but I think that the series really nailed it. At least with casting Jon Bernthal. He IS Frank Castle and is such an incredible talent… While I loved the series, I think that it limited what Bernthal was allowed to do with the character… I want Bernthal to continue to explore the character and be completely unfettered and out of control. I think he does too.”"
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This film, which Simon describes as “Falling Down by way of Full Metal Jacket“, would have been a hard R-rated superhero flick akin to the grim and violent atmosphere of James Mangold’s Logan. Simon also explained that the story would have seen Frank Castle aiming to kill none other than SHIELD director Nick Fury, before the two are forced to team up to survive an onslaught from both heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe:
"“So, Frank Castle has to go gunning for the person who he feels is responsible for the innumerable civilian casualties. The one who started it all by organizing these weapons of mass destruction to come together. Nick Fury. The twist is that Frank is being used, he spots the double-cross early at the end of act one. From that point on, we have a 3:10 to Yuma situation. Frank and Fury on the run from everyone, heroes and villains."
Although the chances of Simon’s feature becoming a reality are slim, he still has actors and a filmmaker in mind as well as a few MCU characters he’d love to use:
"“Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, Joel Edgerton as Bullseye, Kristin Scott Thomas or Edie Falco as Ma Gnucci, Jeffry Wright or Russell Crowe as Micro, Sam Jackson as Nick Fury and a few of The Avengers, namely, Falcon, Black Widow, and Winter Soldier. Oh, and since we are talking obscene amounts of violence and mayhem, you get Joe Lynch directing. If fans got a problem with that hot take, I got seven others. Let’s go.”"
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The sudden cancelation of Netflix’s The Punisher last year left the character’s future at Marvel Studios somewhat uncertain. Nevertheless, there have been reports that Marvel is currently formulating projects for Netflix’s stable of powered individuals. Time will tell if Marvel wants to bring on a more mature character like Frank Castle but, Deadpool 3 in development, Castle may have a chance at a return.