Punisher: War Zone

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Thu Aug 02, 2007 7:16 am

Ray Stevenson (Rome) will replace Thomas Jane as the Punisher. Lexi Alexander will be the Directer.

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:06 am

Lexi Alexander had this to say on her official site:

By now, everybody knows that the new PUNISHER is a remarkable actor named Ray Stevenson. I can't find enough words of praise to describe this formidable actor and true Gentleman. Ray's name came up on a list that the folks at Marvel handed me. I, shamefully, was not aware of Ray's work so I rented the first season of 'Rome'. It took me no longer than 5 seconds from the time Ray came onto the screen, to know that he is Frank Castle. I can't remember the last time an actor has impressed me so much with merely an expression. Maybe Meryl Streep? Brando? I know these are grand names, but I'm not exaggerating. Ray Stevenson is a grand actor. He is also one of the most committed people I have ever met.

Currently he is staying at the home of his trainer and my fight choreographer, Pat Johnson. Johnson – the man, the myth, the legend – is, of course, responsible for the great fight scenes in 'Hooligans', as well as the boxing in my first short film, 'Johnny Flynton'. His resume goes back 35 years and before then, he was the captain of the Chuck Norris fighting team and an undefeated World Karate champion. Currently Mr. Johnson is getting Ray in warrior shape and I think they spend something crazy, like five or six hours a day, just sweating. Thank God, Ray is extremely coordinated so he already looks like he was a competitive fighter himself.

For the past few weekends, Ray has also had major Military training with a bunch of badass Marines from a company called Gunmetal. I love Marines. In the first year I moved out to the US, I was asked to teach a little hand-to-hand combat seminar to a group of Marines at Camp Pendleton. That was before they had their own, now very famous, Martial Arts program. I quickly understood why the Germans called Marines "Teufelshunde." They have trained and continue to train Ray very well.

Matt Sigloch and Jon Barton, the guys who own GUNMETAL, take great pride in their work. They are especially invested in making Frank Castle as authentic as possible, since historically, Castle was a Force Recon Marine.

Magnum · by **Magnum** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:15 am

Any word on why Thomas Jane isn't returning?

Jack's Sorrow · by **Jack's Sorrow** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:26 am

Lexi went on to say that they will be moving the setting of the movie to San Diego, and that though it would be called 'The Punisher', the actual character in the movie would never be called that, and he would be an ex-marine who is now a surfer who wears sandals and wakes up at noon and is more akin to The Big Lebowski (that would be The Dude, not the other Lebowski), but then after a sweet homeless boy who lives on the beach is murdered by mobsters and his body left adrift in the surf, The Punisher Dude goes on a rampage rampant with chugged beers and loopy one liners about Nam flashbacks (even though he wasn't in Nam).

Thurston McQ · by **Thurston McQ** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:13 am

Magnum wrote:Any word on why Thomas Jane isn't returning?

Good sense?

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 11:40 am

Magnum wrote:Any word on why Thomas Jane isn't returning?

I believe it is due to creative differences.

Ipsilon · by **Ipsilon** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:53 pm

They're creative and he isn't?

Or, he's creative and they aren't?

Magnum · by **Magnum** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:31 pm

Creative differences? Is he writing this? He's an actor right?

When organ grinder plays the music, the monkey starts a-dancin'.

Ipsilon · by **Ipsilon** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:36 pm

Hah! I love it.

Why don't actors realize that? Good ones do.

Well, in good actors' cases, the monkey can make suggestions.

Thurston McQ · by **Thurston McQ** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:38 pm

In Edward Norton's case, apparently, he often opts to grind his own organ.

Yes, I know how that looks.

Sickness · by **Sickness** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:49 pm

Just because he's not the one writing it doesn't mean he doesn't have the right to look down on it and choose not to participate (as long as he's not locked). Who knows, he could be one of those actors that prefers intelligent scripts over blockbuster crap that will be forgotten by next summer. While the latter may pay better and raise his profile for other projects, the former are much more attractive to actors who prefer meatier roles and a challenge.

For this very reason we almost didn't get Christian Bale as Wayne/Batman. The only thing that saved that one was the fact that Nolan was helming the project. Apparently, Bale, like many others, appreciates Nolan's ability to tell a big story without losing it in big effects and big actions (COUGHunliketheWachowskiBrosHACK). Not every actor in Hollywood is a sick fuck with a need to be loved and approved of by everyone as their only source of happiness.

Honestly, though, if they had taken Jane as Frank Black to NY and made it a gritty R, I'd be happier than a pig in shit. I caught the first one on TiVo a few months back and I thought it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been portrayed and that Jane was actually pretty good. Ex-Marine's just don't come along as big as he was drawn in the comic books. I'm really a bigger fan of the realistic translations that have been done with comic books instead of the ones that have just tried to translate the books directly to the screen with no concern of how the average person feels about it or how well they can connect to it. That's part of the reason I'm really starting to dig Iron Man. The Hulk, on the other hand, failed for a number of reasons but a major one among them, for me, is the filmmaker's expectation of acceptance and suspension of disbelief without giving me any reason for either.

Ipsilon · by **Ipsilon** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:53 pm

I'll give you a reason...

SHUT UP!

There.

Thurston McQ · by **Thurston McQ** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:21 pm

Sickness wrote:Honestly, though, if they had taken Jane as Frank Black to NY and made it a gritty R, I'd be happier than a pig in shit.

Jane isn't even close to being as fat as he would need to be to play Frank Black.

The first person to say "fat suit" gets a hand job to the eye.

Yes, I know how that looks.

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:07 pm

Thursty, did you really know who Frank Black was? I had to look him up.

Thurston McQ · by **Thurston McQ** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:02 pm

I've been a Pixies fan since before I was a teenager, and I own every one of Frank Black's post Pixies albums (even the admittedly bland Cult of Ray).

I've seen him perform live four times (twice with the Pixies [post reunion] and twice without).

I even know his birth name, sadly.

So . . .

Yes.

Sickness · by **Sickness** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:32 pm

Oops! Frank Castle. My bad.

I'm not black like Barry White; I am white like Frank Black is. The roof, the roof, the roof is fire.

Jack's Sorrow · by **Jack's Sorrow** on Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:36 pm

I thought you meant Frank Black the comedian. He's not that fat.

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:27 am

The movie will be called Punisher: War Zone

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:58 am

Dominic West (McNulty from The Wire) will be playing Jigsaw.

Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) is set to play Microchip.

Jack's Sorrow · by **Jack's Sorrow** on Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:22 pm

Quasar wrote:Dominic West (McNulty from The Wire) will be playing Jigsaw.

Wayne Knight (Newman from Seinfeld) is set to play Microchip.

I guess I like both of these casting decisions: I am of course a fan of West's work on 'The Wire', and Knight seems like he'd be all right for Microship, though I'd hope (almost certainly in vain) that they don't try to make him a joke-a-minute character. I've also just read that Julie Benz will be joining the cast in an as yet unannounced role.

Quasar · by **Quasar** on Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:51 am

The movie has been pushed back from Sept 12 to Dec 5.

Sickness · by **Sickness** on Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:26 am

So that's when it comes out on DVD!

Thurston McQ · by **Thurston McQ** on Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:39 pm

Quasar wrote:The movie has been pushed back from Sept 12 to Dec 5.

Is that how long it is going to take them to completely scrap all their work and try to make the movie look even remotely interesting?

Jack's Sorrow · by **Jack's Sorrow** on Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:05 pm

Oh, snap!

Ipsilon · by **Ipsilon** on Thu Apr 10, 2008 5:17 pm

That's my line!

I know. I dropped the ball.

Punisher: War Zone

Punisher: War Zone

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