The second season of Daredevil may have centered on Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, but the star of the entire affair was unquestionably Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle. Finally embracing his new status as The Punisher in the final moments of the season, the stage has been set for The Punisher solo series to debut on Netflix in the near future. Now it seems that we may get the series even sooner than expected, as filming as apparently already commenced in New York. It's going to be a bloody, violent good time.
A new report from Just Jared indicates that The Punisher solo series has already started filming in New York. Jon Bernthal has been spotted on the streets of Brooklyn, decked out in all black clothing (classic Punisher) and sporting a very rugged looking beard. Although the leaked photos do not inherently confirm that he's filming The Punisher series, it was also recently revealed that Bernthal would miss several days of convention appearances due to his Netflix production schedule. It sounds like Frank Castle will be back much sooner than expected.
Beyond the leaked photos, we do not yet know much about the actual narrative of The Punisher solo series. Filming in Brooklyn seemingly indicates that it will follow The Defenders model by expanding outward from Hell's Kitchen into other New York boroughs -- similar to Luke Cage, which brought the action to Harlem. We also know that the series will bring in longtime Punisher ally, Microchip, as well as the villainous mobster, Bobby Saint. It's not much, but it promises a Punisher story that truly honors the source material.
We cannot even begin to describe how excited we are to see The Punisher finally take center stage in a solo series of his very own. Jon Bernthal has completely nailed the characterization of Frank Castle, and his scenes in the second season of Daredevil easily stood out as the highlights of the season. Beyond that, adding The Punisher to The Defenders universe adds a new layer of morality to the mix, as we now have a hero who is completely unafraid to butcher criminals and put them down permanently.
With that in mind, it seems increasingly likely that we will see even more brutal fight sequences like this in the very near future:
Netflix has not announced a concrete release date for The Punisher solo series, but we will keep you up-to-date as more information becomes available. Until then, make sure check out our fall TV premiere guide, and get caught up on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage on Netflix. Netflix's Iron Fist will debut on March 17, 2017. In addition, upcoming Netflix premiere dates can be viewed here.
