The rights to “The Punisher” are again in Marvel
In Marvel returned prodigal son: "The Punisher", the rights to which a long time belonged to various film companies, will now be able to get a decent adaptation of the native studio. However, until that Marvel will not hurry with this.
According to the comics, Frank Castle was a veteran of Vietnam. Mafia shot and killed his wife and child, then he put on his black suit with a skull on his chest and declared war on crime. New Punisher appeared in Marvel Comics in 1970 as an enemy of Spider-Man. In the late 1980's, when the dark and realistic characters have become the norm, it has gained popularity. Unlike classic superhero Frank Castle uses weapons and does not hide his name. In the movie, Frank has appeared on three occasions.
In 1989, Roger Corman Company New World made a film with actor Dolph Lundgrenom. The actor did not wear a classic suit with a skull on his chest, but the role of Castle was precarious for Lundgren, who played Frank as a mentally unbalanced person. Despite the popularity of the character, the film never went to the big screen, appearing at once on video.
Restarting took place already in 2004, when Marvel Comics movies were popular. Thomas Jane played the hero in "The Punisher" by Jonathan Hensleigh, and at the role of the enemy was John Travolta. Jane, being a fan of comics, seriously approached the project, well studied Castle. The problem with the suit was settled simply: Thomas Jane wore a shirt with a skull. Many fans of his approach landed on the soul, but a movie with a budget of $ 33 million earned in the U.S., 20.8 million.
Two years ago, was filmed a sequel. Jane refused to participate, but director Lexi Alexander has been out of work - the producers took away her right to assembly movie. For the weapons came Ray Stevenson. Despite the fact that the gunman "Punisher: War Zone" was one of the finest comic book adaptations, the film also failed at the box.
The last two projects produced studio Lionsgate. Now the film rights to stories gloomy man with a skull on his chest are again at Marvel. That's only as an enemy of Spider-Man you will not see: the right to Peter Parker is still owned by Sony. But the Punisher will be able to easily measure swords with, say, the Hulk. As it became known, the role of Bruce Banner in "Avengers" really walked to Mark Ruffalo.