Jon Bernthal On “Punisher” Return, New Special

Disney+ aired its fourth episode of “Daredevil: Born Again” this week and with it came the return of Jon Bernthal to the role of Frank Castle/The Punisher.

The actor’s return has long been teased in the trailers and posters for the new series, but the appearance is expected to only be a short one ahead of a more extensive return in the role for Bernthal both next season and in a standalone special.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote his appearance, Bernthal revealed he wasn’t onboard for the initial incarnation of ‘Born Again’ as it didn’t fit how he saw his character:

“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.

Then, Marvel revamped the project with “The Punisher” series executive producer Dario Scardapane installed as showrunner. That changed things for Bernthal:

“They really brought me into the conversation. We really got specific about where Frank is psychologically, where Frank’s at physically.”

Bernthal calls his appearance just a “toe dip” and adds: “Let’s see if there’s a real openness and a hunger to let Frank be what Frank is.”

Bernthal is also writing the standalone Punisher special and shared what his aim with the project is – basically Frank Castle off the leash:

“It’s the visceral, psychologically complex, unforgiving, no-holds-barred version of Frank where he’s going to turn his back to the audience. Nothing is easy and all violence has a cost, and we’re going to see that cost.

They [Marvel] have an idea of where they want him to go… but they’re really giving me agency on how we get him there and making sure that it’s honest and authentic and truthful.”

Next week will see a double episode of the ‘Born Again’ series airing while production on the second season is currently underway. No word as yet when “The Punisher” one-off special will go into production.

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