Punisher - War Zone, децембар 2008 :: Film ~ Pozoriste ~ Televizija

1: Is this a sequel to the 2004 Punisher movie or a total reboot?

"Punisher: War Zone" is a total reboot, ignoring both previous Punisher movies and restarting the franchise from scratch. It is however not a retelling of the origin, but begins like the MAX line of the comic - Frank Castle has already been operating as the Punisher for years. The origin story will however be told in flashback sequences, and it is the origin from the original comic which will be referenced.

2: Why isn't Tom Jane returning?

Tom Jane walked out on the then in-development Punisher sequel in the spring of 2007, citing creative differences. From what we on the outside can tell, it appears that Marvel wanted the movie to be closer to the MAX line of the comic, something which was fine with LGF, as long as the Punisher got to keep some redeeming features. Tom Jane on the other hand wanted the movie to be closer to "Taxi Driver", and alegedly wanted to develop Frank Castle in the same direction as Travis Bickle, taking the movie even further away from the comic than the previous one. (Tom Jane has officially stated that similarity to "Taxi driver" was the main reason he accepted the role in the first place, he was never a fan of the Punisher comic to begin with.) This should be treated as rumour, but sources close to the production have also indicated that Jane wanted more money than LGF was willing to part with in order to keep him. When both Marvel and LGF refused to give in to his demands, Jane walked out on the movie.

2. Appendix: Tom Jane was born for the role! Surely no one can play it other than him?

He was not born for the role, he was simply the first name on a list of five who could make a good Punisher, a list composed primarily by then director Jonathan Hensleigh. The fact of the matter is that Tom Jane, like every one else who plays a pre-established characther, was also mocked and ridiculed when he was announced, in fact more so than many others - him being ginger and significantly shorter than Frank Castle did not sit right with fans at all, and the fanbase was anything but pleased when the first picture of Tom Jane in full Punisher gear emerged: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm319068160/tt0330793 Not until the movie was released, did he win fans over. While his voice and acting were universally praised, many Punisher hardcore fans argue that he is somewhat too short and has to little bulk to be an accurate representation of Frank Castle. If history is any indication, Tom Jane can, like countless Bond actors, Batman actors and Superman actors before him, both be replaced and outdone.

3: I heard Tom Jane left because the script was crap. Is this true?

Please refer to question 2 for why Tom Jane left, but there is indeed some level of truth to this. Allegedly, Jane left after reading Kurt Sutter's rewrite of Nick Santora's initial draft. This particurlar script has been reviewed as "terrible" by all who have seen it. It would appear that due to the demands of Jane, Marvel and LGF, the script was pulled in several directions at once, meaning it became a mess that went all over the place.

4: Are they still using the same script which caused Tom Jane to leave?

No. This cannot be stressed enough.
Jane's departure caused a rethink of the movie, and the entire project went through a major overhaul. Everything they had developed thus far was scrapped, and for all intents and purposes, production started anew. Marvel, LGF and the director they hired shortly after Jane's departure found a vision and a take all involved parties could agree on, and since then production moved forward in one direction. Director Lexi Alexander wrote a new script from page one with only a passing resemblence to previous drafts. Her script has since been rewritten and further polished by Iron Man screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. As such, the script currently being used is NOT the one which caused Jane to leave the movie. Reviews of early drafts of the current script have been highly favourable: (The following link features spoilers) http://www.moviehole.net/news/20071119_reader_review_the_punisher_war. html