FIRST LOOK: Punisher: War Zone
Fan expectation for a new Punisher flick may be (justifiably) low, but here are two reasons to believe we may be in for something good:
(Above: Ray Stevenson is Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher, in PUNISHER: WAR ZONE)
(Above: Scene from PUNISHER: WAR ZONE)
Most geeks agree Marvel’s first (no, wait! second. Sorry, Dolph, but… Enh! Jesus! You don’t count!) attempt at adapting Punisher to the silver screen was, well… abysmal. However, a so-called ‘reboot’ is in the works, which I believe holds great promise. With no official release date for “PUNISHER: WAR ZONE,” Lionsgate plans to eventually release a re-envisioned Punisher movie, which the producers describe with the following premise:
Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss, Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias: Jigsaw. With the “Punisher Task Force” hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished.
Starring Ray Stevenson (HBO’s “Rome”) as The Punisher, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is directed by Lexi Alexander and produced by Gale Anne Hurd.
Granted, the images above constitute a very early look at the film, offering very little in the way of story or direction. I’m skeptical, of course, but I think the overall Art Direction is impressive, in a Bladerunner kind of way. The color story in each panel is distinctive and very comic book-y. I hope the consideration given to these two panels is truly indicative of the overall product.
Additionally, the presence of Producer Gale Anne Hurd gives me great hope for this flick, as she produced numerous, important sci-fi film films, including The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and The Abyss (Hmmmm. James Cameron much?).
I, for one, am looking forward to this.
Benjamin
Thoughts? Comments? Click the “comments” link below right, and be heard!!