'The Punisher' Director Reveals What Makes Show Different From Other Marvel Superhero Series
Netflix's "The Punisher" will be a different Marvel show among the handful of superhero series on television. Director Stephen Surjik, who helmed the final episode, revealed a few details as the show heads to post-production this month.
Surjik discussed "The Punisher" in his interview with Combat Radio. He said he signed a non-disclosure agreement so he couldn't explicitly talk about what he knows except that the upcoming show will be an "adult drama."
"There are no superpowers," Surjik said. "You know the Punisher is a character who is based on vengeance, fundamentally," he said, adding that the approach to "The Punisher" was different from the other shows in Marvel's lineup. The director sensed the difference after having also directed episodes of "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage" and "Iron Fist" for Marvel and Netflix.
"The Punisher" stars Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher, who seeks vengeance for the death of his family at the hands of criminals. The character was first introduced in the second season of "Daredevil" as a villain and an anti-hero. But viewers came to love Bernthal's performance that Netflix and Marvel decided to give the character his own show.
"We want to thank the fans who are clamoring for more of Jon's stunning and powerful performance as Frank Castle from 'Marvel's Daredevil,'" Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb said. "Now combined with showrunner Steve Lightfoot's compelling writing, we're thrilled to bring 'Marvel's The Punisher' to Netflix."
Netflix, however, has not yet announced the air date for "The Punisher." But in June, another director, Dearbhla Walsh, let it slip that the series will begin airing in November.
Fans also expect more revelations about the show after another Marvel series, "The Defenders," drops on Netflix this Aug. 18. Viewers assume that The Punisher will have a cameo in the miniseries which Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos teased to the press in 2016.