Although Sony and Marvel may be pounding each other in a series of lawsuits, the legal wrangling didn't stop Sony from buying most international rights for The Punisher, the Artisan Entertainment movie based on Marvel's comic book character.
Artisan sales agent Summit Entertainment previously sold rights in eight Southeast Asian and Middle East territories, including China and India, but Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International will handle the rest of the world other than the U.S., where Artisan will distribute.
In the film, Thomas Jane will play a federal drug agent who turns vigilante after his family is killed by a crime boss played by John Travolta. Jonathan Hensleigh will helm, with Gale Anne Hurd and Marvel's Avi Arad producing. Shooting has not yet begun on pic, which is slated for a summer 2004 release.
Columbia's current Marvel properties include Spider-Man 2 as well as Luke Cage and Ghost Rider.