Screenwriter Adam G. Simon has been in the news a bit recently, since it has been revealed that the remake of THE RAID he wrote for director Joe Carnahan and star Frank Grillo has become an original film called ZENO. Nick Floyd of ComicBook.com is one interviewer who has spoken with Simon, and during their talk it came out that Simon has what he describes as a "very sick obsession" with the Marvel Comics character The Punisher and has multiple pitches ready to go for a movie that would have The Punisher crossing paths with some major players in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Simon has been crafting Punisher ideas for years, and at one point – between the release of PUNISHER: WAR ZONE and the announcement of the Netflix series – pitched a Punisher film that he described as "FALLING DOWN by way of FULL METAL JACKET". He even had the first 15 pages written. But the series has changed his view of what the next Punisher project should be, starting with the casting of Jon Bernthal. Simon said Bernthal
IS Frank Castle and is such an incredible talent… While I loved the series, I think that it limited what Bernthal was allowed to do with the character. When I see Bernthal as Frank Castle in that series, I see an Olympic sprinter running while being forced to wear a giant weight vest. I want Bernthal to continue to explore the character and be completely unfettered and out of control. I think he does too."
Simon envisions an R-rated project with "the same grit and unapologetic boldness of LOGAN".
In my take, we find Frank Castle as we left him at the end of the series, only now completely aware of the threat that superheroes and villains pose to mankind. So, Frank Castle has to go gunning for the person who he feels is responsible for the innumerable civilian casualties. The one who started it all by organizing these weapons of mass destruction to come together. Nick Fury. The twist is that Frank is being used, he spots the double-cross early at the end of act one. From that point on, we have a 3:10 TO YUMA situation. Frank and Fury on the run from everyone, heroes and villains. It’s 3:10 TO YUMA meets LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL by way of WINTER SOLDIER."
Another project Simon has written is the Netflix film POINT BLANK, which was directed by Joe Lynch. Since this Punisher movie would feature "obscene amounts of violence and mayhem", he would want Lynch at the helm of this one as well, with Eminem on board for the music and soundtrack since he was so upset when the Netflix series was cancelled.
The cast for the movie Simon wants to make:
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, Joel Edgerton as Bullseye, Kristin Scott Thomas or Edie Falco as Ma Gnucci, Jeffrey Wright or Russell Crowe as Micro, Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, and a few of The Avengers, namely, Falcon, Black Widow, and Winter Soldier. … If fans got a problem with that hot take, I got seven others. Let’s go."
I think the upcoming BLACK WIDOW movie may be the end of the line for that character, but I can certainly imagine Frank Castle sharing the screen with Nick Fury, Falcon, and Winter Soldier in a mayhem-filled, violent, shoot 'em up action film. And I like the thought of it.
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