Punisher Rebooted Fan Cast!!!

Hey, so I’m a long time fan of this site and this is my first fan cast! I’ve decided to do the Punisher, as this is a character I think really needs the proper treatment.

Ever since his first appearance in 1974 in The Amazing Spider-Man #129, Frank Castle has been translated into film three times. Once in 1989 starring Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane portrayed him next in 2004, and recently Ray Stevenson bore the skull in 2008.

None of these films have done the character true justice, in my opinion. And now that Frank Castle is back home at Marvel Studios, I say that it is time for him to be done right! It is time to see the real Punisher on screen. Time to get Frank Castle back to basics, down to his roots.

That means I want to go with an all new cast (sorry, no Thomas Jane back) and an all new introduction to the character. Way back when Superman was starting the reboot treatment, they talked about skipping his origin, as it is widely known. After two feature films within four years, I think the people know that Frank Castle’s family was murdered and that started his path of vengeance.
However, when I say “back to basics”, I mean back to his war roots. Let the audience see how Castle interacted in the military, see how he took vengeance on a soldier for raping a woman, planting the seeds for who he would someday become. Then move into the story of Frank Castle on his mission of punishment.



To helm this movie I figure we need somebody who knows about violence. Knows characters, too. Knows what makes a good story. For this, I chose Robert Rodriguez.



Robert Rodriguez has directed films such as the El Mariachi Trilogy, Machete, and co-directed Sin City.

I was watching Desperado the other week and in the movie, during the fight scenes, you see a grittiness, a dark, powerful dirty view of the fight that seems to fit the Punisher’s style. His characters are also uniquely different and he does well with a larger cast, such as in Sin City.

For the main character of the film: Frank Castle, I’ve chosen James Caviezel. This might seem like an odd choice, but after watching not only The Passion of the Christ, but Wyatt Earp and The Prisoner, I saw what a great actor Caviezel is.



A lot of people like him for Jor-El, as he was in the running for Superman back when Bryan Singer was directing, and because of his resemblance to Henry Cavil. But I think he would do well as the tortured, vengeance-driven Frank Castle.



Next would have to be Castle’s only partner. Microchip was hard to cast because I thought Wayne Knight was absolutely perfect for the role. But I think I came up with a suitable replacement: Stephen Root.

You might remember him as the dorky, somewhat unstable Milton from Office Space, or the bullied Gordon from Dodgeball. Recently he has been in the TV show Justified as an eccentric judge. Stephen Root is a phenomenal actor with a range that could be perfect for Microchip.

This version should be fairly the same to the comics and to Punisher: War Zone. I think he could be more of a help to Castle, though, sort of how Lucius Fox helped out Batman at the end of The Dark Knight. He’s sort of the eyes in the sky for Castle, monitoring the police, security cameras, and street light cameras.



Castle does need contacts within the police department, though. Martin Soap has always been seen as a clumsy, inept police officer in the comics and in War Zone. I cast Alan Tudyk as Detective Martin Soap.

Tudyk has been on TV shows such as V, Doll’s House, Firefly, and the following film Serenity. He has also been in the Will Smith film, I, Robot, Knocked Up, and was just cast as Stephen A. Douglas in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Tudyk is also a cast member from Dodgeball, playing the memorable role of Steve the Pirate.

Soap, in this film, shouldn’t be some incompetent screw up in the department who is hidden from view. I see him as more of a good cop, just plagued by perpetual bad luck (like the comics). This could be seen in him being passed for a promotion at the end (a nod to Batman Begins), missing taxis and buses, that kind of thing. He also sees Castle as this necessary evil in the city and allows it because it is better than the criminals running free.



In this film I see Castle being targeted by the CIA now. It is something that hasn’t been in the other two films and opens up a whole slew of stories. One of the agents tracking Castle is Kathryn O’Brien, who is to be played by Maria Bello.

Maria Bello is an accomplished actress, having appeared in the films A History of Violence, Coyote Ugly, and Thank You for Smoking. A History of Violence convinced me she would be perfect for Kathryn O’Brien.

Kathryn O’Brien’s arc would be pretty typical. She’s going to start on a hunt for Castle, but as the film progresses, she finds herself drawn into what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. By the end of the film, she’ll realize that the city needs Castle to keep the criminals at bay.



The villain for this film is tricky. The way I see it, in the comics Castle doesn’t really have one major villain that defines him. There is no Joker or Green Goblin to set him apart. Sure, he has Jigsaw, a reoccurring villain, but when he dies it’s just like every other villain that crosses Castle. I wanted this to be reflected in the film, with a few antagonists, with none really more important than the other.

The traditional “comic book” villain -- the one with the cool name and defining attributes -- would be Barracuda. Barracuda is a mercenary from Florida with an unbreakable sense of optimism. He is hired to kill Castle but soon double crosses his employers and goes against both Castle and them.

I chose Tiny Lister for this role. I forgot where I first saw this in a fan cast, but I always remembered it and loved it. So, whoever it was that first had this idea, thank you! Tiny Lister has been in Jackie Brown, Beverly Hills Cop II, and is probably most known for his appearance in The Dark Knight as the prisoner who throws the detonator out the ferry window.



The next antagonist is Nicky Cavella. Even though no villain is greater than the other in the world of the Punisher, I would like for Cavella to appear in multiple films, as a constant threat in Castle’s life. He seems the easiest to continue appearing, as he can work for whatever crime family will take him: Gnucci, Angelone, Luna, etc.

I cast Michael Imperioli as Nicky Cavella. Imperioli has appeared in the films Goodfellas and The Lovely Bones. He is more well-known in his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the television show The Sopranos, as Ray Carling on Life on Mars, and now as Lou Fitch in Detroit 1-8-7. Imperioli is a great actor, despite only playing cops on TV and film, but one that can make you really feel for him.



The final primary antagonist is Nikolai Zakharov. He is a Russian gangster from Afghanistan, known as the Man of Stone, now in New York City. He is running a sexual slavery trade from New York into Miami, into Eastern Europe. He employs Cavella and Barracuda and wants Castle dead for his interference.

I cast Ray Winstone as Zakharov. It may seem like a clichéd choice, but Winstone is a great actor, and there are so many comic book movie roles that would be perfect for him. Winstone has been in The Departed, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Rango.



Of course, secretly working with Zakharov would have to be from the CIA, in order to get the women across the country lines. Partnered with Kathryn O’Brien I see is Finn Cooley.

In the comics, Finn Cooley is a powerful crime lord who’s face has been blown off from a bomb. In the film, I think he should be a cocky, somewhat narcissistic (not to the point of Jigsaw) partner to Kathryn. He can get his face blown off during the film, sort of like Harvey Dent in the Dark Knight, but by the Punisher. I see Cooley being presumed dead and lying low in the sewers after his face is blown off, waiting to resurface.

For Finn Cooley I cast Eion Bailey. Bailey has appeared in Band of Brothers, Fight Club, and Covert Affairs. Cooley would still be Irish and I think that Bailey has the talent and drive to pull off the Irish accent.



Overseeing Cooley and Kathryn would be William Rawlins. Rawlins and Cooley are both in on the sex slave trade and are taking in cuts of the profit from Zakharov. Rawlins lives in this film as well to come back in the beginning, like how Scarecrow came back for the sequel. It will show a continuation with Castle.

I picked Jason Isaacs for William Rawlins. Isaacs is a talented actor seen in Peter Pan, the Harry Potter film series as Lucius Malfoy, and Black Hawk Down. I think he would be great as the corrupt CIA agent and can play malicious quite easily. Jason Isaacs is another I would to see in a comic book movie role. If not Rawlins, then I would love to see him as Doctor Strange.



And, as we are going back to Castle’s starting point in the military, I think it’s important to see a vital character: Private Steve Goodwin. Goodwin is a young man in the squad with Castle. While most of the men are off gallivanting and screwing around, Goodwin is an eager, focused soldier, which is what draws Castle to him in the first place. I think that while Castle is saving a woman from being raped, Goodwin dies, and Castle, powerless to save him, feels guilty for his death. At the end of the Born arch, Castle returns home, hearing the voice of Death or the Devil speak to him about how he is on a slippery slope. I think that could be Goodwin’s voice.

For Steve Goodwin, I chose Xavier Samuel, a relatively unknown actor. He has been in the Twilight film series, but that should not deter him from appearing in other movies. He is a great actor and that’s proven in films such as Road Train and Newcastle.



Well, that’s it. That’s my cast. Hope you enjoyed!