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Jon Bernthal Initially Walked Away From DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN Over Punisher’s Direction
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher made his big debut in the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again, but his return almost didn’t happen. The actor recently revealed that he initially walked away from Daredevil: Born Again because he didn’t agree with the direction the show wanted to take Frank Castle.In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bernthal explained that when Marvel first approached him for the series, he wasn’t on board with their vision. He said:"Ultimately, I didn't see it. I didn't see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn't] really make sense to me and I thought would not appeal to the fans and wouldn't be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away."Thankfully, that version of the show never saw the light of day. A creative overhaul, sparked by the Hollywood strikes, brought in The Punisher alum Dario Scardapane as the new showrunner, alongside other key creatives from the Netflix era. Bernthal credits that change for bringing him back into the fold."They really brought me into the conversation," he said. "We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank's at physically."The latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again introduces Frank Castle in a brief but powerful scene with Matt Murdock, delivering some of the most emotionally charged dialogue of the show so far. Charlie Cox talked about how Bernthal would often rewrite his lines, sometimes without giving Cox a heads-up. He explained: “There was a scene this season, and he cares so much, he gets so into it, like thinks about it, it's almost like a pain-body. We had this scene and he called me the night before and he said 'some of these lines don't make sense for me for where I'm at, I need to mess with these a little bit. Here's what I'm gonna say, I want to say this.'“He just changed some of his lines, he had kinda written his own thing. So, I had to adapt and relearn my stuff, which I'm totally okay to do as he's brilliant. And then we get to set and he didn't say any of those, he just made up a whole new set of lines. And I was like, okay…!”It seems Bernthal's insistence on staying true to Frank Castle paid off, ensuring that his return to the MCU would be on his own terms, and one that fans could get behind. He’s also now working on a Punisher Special Presentation from Marvel!
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher made his big debut in the latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again, but his return almost didn’t happen. The actor recently revealed that he initially walked away from Daredevil: Born Again because he didn’t agree with the direction the show wanted to take Frank Castle.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bernthal explained that when Marvel first approached him for the series, he wasn’t on board with their vision. He said:
"Ultimately, I didn't see it. I didn't see the version of Frank, and what they wanted from Frank [didn't] really make sense to me and I thought would not appeal to the fans and wouldn't be congruent. It was not something I was really interested in doing. So we had to walk away."
Thankfully, that version of the show never saw the light of day. A creative overhaul, sparked by the Hollywood strikes, brought in The Punisher alum Dario Scardapane as the new showrunner, alongside other key creatives from the Netflix era. Bernthal credits that change for bringing him back into the fold.
"They really brought me into the conversation," he said. "We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank's at physically."
The latest episode of Daredevil: Born Again introduces Frank Castle in a brief but powerful scene with Matt Murdock, delivering some of the most emotionally charged dialogue of the show so far.
Charlie Cox talked about how Bernthal would often rewrite his lines, sometimes without giving Cox a heads-up. He explained:
“There was a scene this season, and he cares so much, he gets so into it, like thinks about it, it's almost like a pain-body. We had this scene and he called me the night before and he said 'some of these lines don't make sense for me for where I'm at, I need to mess with these a little bit. Here's what I'm gonna say, I want to say this.'
“He just changed some of his lines, he had kinda written his own thing. So, I had to adapt and relearn my stuff, which I'm totally okay to do as he's brilliant. And then we get to set and he didn't say any of those, he just made up a whole new set of lines. And I was like, okay…!”
It seems Bernthal's insistence on staying true to Frank Castle paid off, ensuring that his return to the MCU would be on his own terms, and one that fans could get behind. He’s also now working on a Punisher Special Presentation from Marvel!
