‘The Punisher’ Actor Thought the Show Would Be Cancelled

The second season of The Punisher is set to premiere on Netflix next month, but the Marvel Television series had a rough road before its debut.

The spinoff of Daredevil was released late last year, though it came after a tragedy that resulted in 59 people murdered at a country music concert in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017. Marvel ended up cancelling a big showcase for The Punisher at New York Comic Con, set to take place just a week later, and possibly delayed the show’s release date.

Actor Jason R. Moore, who plays Frank Castle’s ally Curtis Moore in the series, revealed to Collider that he was worried the show would be cancelled after that tragic event.

“I thought it was a wrap,” he said. “Because trailers had come out that’s like, dude, it’s a gun shooting a lady in the head. That’s what you see. I’m very sensitive to the political climate. So I was just like, ‘I gotta’ start looking for a job.’”

The show eventually premiered on Netflix nearly six weeks later, earning enough buzz to get a second season order. And while many fans seem eager to see more of Frank Castle’s exploits, this could be the final season of the series.

The Punisher‘s cancellation is unlikely to be linked to a real world tragedy, however. Netflix is seemingly culling all of their Marvel Television series. The streaming giant made deals with Marvel and ABC Studios to produce The Punisher and their other MCU shows, but now Netflix has moved into producing its own original content.

Not paying Marvel for content, as well as Disney making their own streaming service, seems to be the major factor in Netflix’s decision to cancel the popular flagship series Daredevil, as well as shows like Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

While the ax has yet to fall on The Punisher, the writing is on the wall that Season 2 will be the end. But that’s not the end of Marvel Television’s relationship with Netflix, as a third season of Jessica Jones is still in the works for a 2019 release date.

It remains to be seen what future, if any, Marvel has with Netflix after the current season of The Punisher. But fans can at lease look forward to Season 2 premiering on the streaming service sometime in January 2019.