Punisher:Warzone

[Rappy Veteran]

Last year Latino Review rocked the nation when we broke the story that Heath Ledger would be The Joker (CLICK HERE FOR THAT) in the Batman sequel The Dark Knight.

Guess what? We are about to do it again and this coming from OUR VERY TRUSTED SOURCE, the same that told us the Joker scoop and the Bond 22 director scoop told us this scoop just a few hours ago. So no need to get your phone OR blackberrys to confirm it.

Want to know who the new Punisher will be in the upcoming sequel.

We bet you do. Better yet we know and we want to tell you.

The new Punisher is RAY STEVENSON! Yup the guy from HBO's ROME in which he plays the role of Titus Pullo.

Ray Stevenson is the third Punisher behind Thomas Jane from the 2004 version and Dolph Lundgren from the 1989 film.

Now we know that Lexi Alexander (http://www.latinoreview.com/news.php?id=2165) has landed the job of director of Punisher 2 and now we know who the Punisher is going to be.

But who is the villain? Its still JIGSAW as it has been reported before.

(source)

I liked Thomas Jane!!!...but I remember him saying he didn't want to do it again :(

Edited May 19, 2008 by Rappy

[Michael Lacey]

Cool. I liked the second Punisher movie, never saw the first one.

[.Kompressor]

The thing about the first punisher is that he is supposed to be Ruthless...Vigilante...Dark...and Careless. Maybe this new guy could pull it off.

[azcodemonkey]

The thing about the first punisher is that he is supposed to be Ruthless...Vigilante...Dark...and Careless. Maybe this new guy could pull it off.

He sure as hell did it as Titus Pullo in Rome. Pullo was my favorite character in the Rome series.

[Orange]

WTF i thought Thomas Jane was signed up for 2nd film? he looks the part tho

[Veedems Veteran]

This thread made me want to see the 2004 film again. By pure luck, it's on FX right now. :)

[Rappy Veteran]

WTF i thought Thomas Jane was signed up for 2nd film? he looks the part tho

I thought Thomas Jane was awesome in the first...and I also thought he had signed up to do more but I suspect type casting is something he doesn't want....

[benac]

He looks the part. Didn't see the '04 version. Heard it was bad, never got around to it.

[Rappy Veteran]

US, August 7, 2007 - IGN has the word on The Punisher 2, Liongate's sequel to the 2004 Marvel Comics adaptation. Lexi Alexander will direct the movie, which begins filming this fall in Montreal for a 2008 release. Ray Stevenson (Rome) will play the title role, taking over from Thomas Jane. The screenplay was written by Nick Santora, Kurt Sutter, Matt Holloway and Art Marcum.

The film is currently casting supporting roles; check out our plot information below for more on who's who. Please be advised that some plot SPOILERS follow:

As expected, the villain of the piece is indeed Billy Russo, a.k.a. Jigsaw. In the comics, Jigsaw was a gunman for the Maggia crime family, but in the movie he works for his uncle, Gaitano Cesare -- a wheelchair-bound Mafia don whom Billy openly despises (it's mutual). Jigsaw runs the waterfront docks of New York City and his facial disfigurement remains the handiwork of The Punisher. Despite the inclusion of a supervillain such as Jigsaw, the tone of the piece is definitely still one of gritty realism.

Jigsaw is expecting a lucrative "biological" shipment in from a Romanian crimelord, Cristu Bulat. The deal rubs Cesare the wrong way since he correctly suspects that Jigsaw is looking to sell the item to a Muslim terrorist cell in Queens once he gets it. This isn't the only plotline involving Jigsaw, however. More on that shortly.

Frank Castle remains on the run from the law, although the NYPD aren't exactly overeager to catch him since he's helping to rid the streets of scumbags. The hunt for The Punisher heats up once FBI Special Agent Luke McDonald becomes the bureau's liaison to the NYPD on the Castle case. Luke is obsessed with catching The Punisher for very personal reasons. Luke is partnered with a seemingly sorry excuse for an NYPD detective, the hard-drinking Martin Soap.

It turns out that during his one-man war on crime Frank unintentionally killed an undercover FBI agent, Nick Donatelli, McDonald's ex-partner. (There's a little more fueling Luke's vendetta than that, though.) Frank is remorseful over the agent's death, but he's not quitting his campaign against organized crime. We suspect, though, that he may have a bit of a death wish, punishing himself for his own crimes.

This heavy-handed theme of penance is driven home by Castle's ally, Dante, a former gangbanger and ex-con who used his stash of drug money to open a legit business (an arcade in Harlem) for families to patron.

These different storylines converge when Jigsaw targets Donatelli's widow Angie and her child Gracie for execution. A hostage standoff brings out both the cops and Frank. Jigsaw also happens to be raising an army of multi-ethnic criminals, all of whom are keen on taking down The Punisher. Then there's the biological shipment sale that Frank Castle has to stop.

[Rappy Veteran]

Marvel Studios is a beehive of activity these days (and we?re not just referring to the actual beehive that sat outside their old LA offices, and which once dropped onto one of our team?s head) ? not content with Iron Man and The Hulk coming out next summer, today they also confirmed Matthew Vaughn as the director of Thor, and announced a new title for Lexi Alexander?s The Punisher 2, which begins filming soon in Montreal.

And that title is The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank.

Now, Punisher fans will immediately recognise that name as the title of Belfast-born genius writer Garth Ennis? first arc on The Punisher comic book, which revitalised the character a few years ago and lent many story elements ? including the battle with The Russian that was arguably the first movie?s standout ? to the Jonathan Hensleigh/Thomas Jane original.

But there were other untapped elements in Welcome Back Frank ? including a police hunt for The Punisher, and the forming of an organisation of crackpot vigilantes who took their cue from Frank Castle?s antics ? that could be deployed in the new Punisher movie, about which only this is so far known: it will be set in New York, it will see Castle, his skull T-shirt and array of powerful firearms go up against a mobster (who will probably be longtime Punisher nemesis, Jigsaw), and after Jane bowed out, it will star Brit actor Ray Stevenson (Rome) in the title role.

And that maybe, just maybe, this will be third time lucky for Marvel in terms of getting one of their darkest characters right on the big screen.

[Rappy Veteran]

According to unofficial Ray Stevenson site Ray-Stevenson.com, the following roles are being cast for The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank:

The remaining lead characters include the main villain Billy Russo/Jigsaw, LBJ/Looney Bin Jim (Jigsaw's brother), Nicky Donatelli (undercover FBI agent serving as Jigsaw's right hand man), his wife Angela Donatelli, FBI agent Luke MacDonald, Det. Martin Soap, and Microchip (The Punisher's armorer).

The Lionsgate release will be directed by Lexi Alexander.

[Rappy Veteran]

[Boz]

Casting for the 3rd part is HORRIBLE.. jeez.. Thomas Jane was incredible though I really LOVED Dolph Lundgren as well. Those 2 actors were very good for Punisher. This new HBO guy looks more like someone who would be good in a roll of the villain (Jigsaw) as shown in the drawing in the OP.

[Rappy Veteran]

Casting for the 3rd part is HORRIBLE.. jeez.. Thomas Jane was incredible though I really LOVED Dolph Lundgren as well. Those 2 actors were very good for Punisher. This new HBO guy looks more like someone who would be good in a roll of the villain (Jigsaw) as shown in the drawing in the OP.

Yeah I am not fond of this films casting at all but I loved the 2004 version.

[Lqv2015]

This movie is going to be directed by a woman? I'm not sexist or anything but c'mon!

[abecedarian paradoxious]

Heath Ledger.... 'brokebat mounting'?

umm...

punisher... nevemind- I've wandered off of topic.

[TDQuiksilver]

Really liked Thomas Jane as the Punisher.

[Rappy Veteran]

Really liked Thomas Jane as the Punisher.

Yeah he was pretty awesome!, shame he never decided to return :(

[Pretend]

Still looks like it will be awesome though :)

[Rappy Veteran]

[Jase]

Holy Crap I thought that was Steven Segal :laugh:

[MGS4-SS]

Holy Crap I thought that was Steven Segal :laugh:

You're not alone. I still think that is Steven Segal.

[Rappy Veteran]

Holy Crap I thought that was Steven Segal :laugh:

No they arent THAT desperate :p

[Rappy Veteran]

[Rappy Veteran]