One of the best things that fans can give the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even in its down times, is that the casting for the franchise is always top-notch. There’s a reason why Daredevil: Born Again has been bringing back so many of the stars that were only ever in the Netflix Marvel TV shows almost a decade ago, as the performers stepped into these characters’ shoes and defined them for a new generation. It’s why Charlie Cox and Krysten Ritter are back as Daredevil and Jessica Jones; they became those heroes in the eyes of the audience. There are few examples that fit this better, though, than Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle, aka The Punisher.
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Having already made his Marvel return in Born Again Season 1, Bernthal’s gun-toting vigilante is set to make a splash in the larger MCU this summer in two ways: his own Disney+ special, The Punisher: One Last Kill, and the upcoming summer blockbuster, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. After much teasing, the first official trailer for Bernthal’s solo effort has finally been revealed, and The Punisher: One Last Kill appears to be setting up an entirely new take on the Punisher.
The Punisher: One Last Kill Reveals a New Take on the Marvel Vigilante
There are two things that the trailer for The Punisher: One Last Kill makes clear. The first is that this is a slightly more heady take on the gun-toting vigilante than we’ve ever seen before. All of the feature film adaptations of the character have largely been just creative action movies, with some elements of Castle’s personal demons being present but never fully embraced. One Last Kill, on the other hand, showcases actual hallucinations that Castle is suffering from while trapped in his own mind. It’s a slightly more surreal idea for the character that’s never been done before, including a scene where Castle imagines walking past a version of himself fully decked out in classic Punisher gear.
The second thing that The Punisher: One Last Kill trailer reveals is what the action will be like in the film. Though it’s less than two minutes of footage, there are multiple sequences of Castle in the midst of a fight to be found. Not only does he clearly have to fight a slew of bad guys on a roof, fending off an attack by an axe and other firearms, but he’s going to take plenty of licks himself.
One of the most exciting developments for the special, and one that is clear from the trailer, is who is standing behind the camera for the special, as Academy Award-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit served as the DP for the special. Elswit has lensed some iconic feature films, including multiple collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights, but also major action movies like Ben Affleck’s The Town, Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Legacy, and Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. If there’s one guarantee for The Punisher: One Last Kill, it’s that it will look amazing.
The Punisher: One Last Kill is co-written by Bernthal alongside the director of the special, Reinaldo Marcus Green (who previously worked with the actor on the HBO miniseries We Own This City). The Marvel Television Special is set to premiere on Disney+ on May 12.
