Marvel Studios Gets The Punisher and Jessica Jones Rights Back From Netflix

The live-action rights to Jessica Jones and The Punisher have reverted back to Marvel Studios after a multi-year tenure with Netflix. The characters were the subjects of tremendously popular shows, along with Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage. When Disney had revealed plans to launch their own streaming service which would rival Netflix, Netflix canceled all of their Marvel titles in a move which shocked fans of the successful properties. The rights to the characters remained with Netflix for two years after they were cancelled and that window has now officially closed, meaning Jessica Jones and Punisher are now eligible to used by Marvel Studios.

With Jessica Jones and The Punisher having been the last shows to be cancelled by Netflix, this now means all of the Marvel characters which were licensed to Netflix have now reverted their rights to Disney.

It is unclear whether or not Marvel Studios will incorporate the casts and characters off the Netflix shows which were developed separately by Jeph Loeb and his Marvel TV banner. Recently, Charlie Cox was spotted on the set of Marvel’s Spider-Man 3, but it is unclear what role he would be playing in the joint venture from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. The Defenders-based shows may not remain on Netflix, as the streamer does not have exclusive distribution rights to the shows. There is no update on whether or not they will be moving anywhere yet.

“It’s unbelievably humbling how much people sort of responded to this version of Frank, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me because he means so much to me. He’s in my blood, he’s in my bones,” said Punisher star Jon Bernthal in an interview on Geek House Show. “So it’s not about whether we do it, it’s about getting it right, and doing the version that the fans really deserve. We’ll see. I mean, all of those decisions are made in rooms I am not invited into… But Frank’s always there, he’s always a part of me. And when we get the call to go, I’ll be ready, and I’ll make sure that I do everything I can to make sure that we do it right, or we won’t do it at all.”

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