Despite a lackluster box office for the first film, Marvel Studios exec Avi Arad wants a Punisher sequel and lead actor Thomas Jane said Jigsaw is being considered for the lead villain. In the comics, Jigsaw was a horribly scarred gangster.
Regarding Punisher 2, "Yeah, we have had discussions. We want Jigsaw to be the bad guy," Jane told Superhero Hype, "We'll probably shoot it for much the same budget and probably go to Australia or South Africa where we can stretch the dollar. I'd do another one. It's a niche market film that will always be that, and that's what it should be."
A less-than-ideal box office didn't phase Jane. "In today's market, if it's not a blockbuster, then it's somehow considered a failure. I just don't understand that point of view. It saddens me that if a film doesn't sell a million Happy Meals that it's considered to be a failure, and that is just incorrect. We need to change our view of that. In today's market, there's certainly a place for the blockbuster type of film, but if you can make a film for $30 million and its grossed like 50-something so far worldwide and then do a bunch more business on DVD, then that film has done its job. I like movies that don't have to cater and appeal to everybody. Those movies are great, movies that cross the board and you can take your six-year old kid and your grandma, and everybody loves it. Fantastic! And there should be more movies like that and there will be, but there should also be movies that cater to people who like to see something different. People that have a need to see something that is off-the-beaten path a little bit. That's what 'The Punisher' is there for and that's what it's
there to serve. It's for the fans and I'm very proud of it. I hope they don't ever process it down and turn it into something that it shouldn't be."
Any new approach to Frank Castler in Punisher 2? "Absolutely. I like the character a lot and I had a lot of fun with him. For me, the second one would be an exploration of the morality of what he does. He's so close to being a bad guy and does what he does cause more harm than good? Those kind of things are interesting for me. Where do you draw the line between what you're doing being justifiable and not?"
Also, "the first one ended with him busting into that club and taking out all those people, and the second will open where the first one left off. It will just be incredibly violent and then it will just get more and more violent as the film goes on. That's the kind of film that it should be! It's a real take no prisoners punk rock kind of an action film, and g**ammit, it should p*** a lot of people off!"