Marvel's The Punisher May Hit Netflix Sooner Than Expected
Netflix has had a busy year with its Marvel releases, but the streaming site isn’t done just [...]
Netflix has had a busy year with its Marvel releases, but the streaming site isn't done just yet. Marvel's The Punisher is still slated to debut following the release of The Defenders, and the gritty show may be dropping sooner than fans expected.
Earlier this month, news broke that The Punisher would go public in November. The much-awaited series wrapped filming a month or so ago, giving Netflix and Marvel plenty of post-production space. Now, MCU Exchange is reporting a source of theirs tipped them off about the exact premiere date of The Punisher. The site says "someone close to the streaming titan" told them the project is slated to go live on November 14.
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For fans, the release date would be an unexpected one. November 14 falls on a Tuesday which isn't usually considered prime premiere real estate. However, it would not be the first time Netflix has ushered a show out on a Tuesday. The site dropped House of Card's fifth season on a Tuesday, and the season two premiere of Stranger Things will also fall on that day. If The Punisher also falls on the weekday, then the site may be signaling a permanent shift in its premiere schedule.
For now, the report regarding The Punisher's premiere date can only be classified as a rumor. Neither Marvel nor Netflix have commented on the report or given an exact date for the show's release. Some fans had anticipated the standalone series to drop closer to Thanksgiving as more viewers would be on holiday break to binge the show, but Netflix may be preparing to surprise its users.
Earlier this year, news broke that The Punisher was eyeing a November release by accident. The Hollywood Reporter did an interview with Dearbhla Walsh, one of the directors for The Punisher. She let the anticipated release schedule for the Marvel show slip during the chat, saying, "[I've directed] one other time that hasn't been aired yet, which was an episode of the new Marvel series The Punisher, which I did just before Christmas, but it's not airing until November."
Marvel's The Punisher is being developed by Steve Lightfoot for Netflix. Lightfoot will serve as showrunner.
Jon Bernthal will star alongside Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Amber Rose Revah, Deborah Ann Woll, Daniel Webber, Jason R. Moore, Paul Schulze, Jaime Ray Newman, and Michael Nathanson. Production on the first season of The Punisher commenced in October 2016 and wrapped back in April 2017.
The Punisher is based on the Marvel Comics character created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., and Ross Andru. The character debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974. Originally meant to be a Spider-Man villain, the Punisher's brutality resonated with fans and turned him into a cult classic. The vigilante has since starred in several series including three live-action movies: one starring Dolph Lundgren in 1989, another starring Thomas Jane in 2004, and Punisher: War Zone with Ray Stevenson in 2004
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