Former Walking Dead star, Jon Bernthal is to play Marvel’s Punisher in the second season of Daredevil.
The Punisher (A.K.A, Frank Castle) is a military veteran and expert in martial arts and guerilla warfare. In the comics, he is a character that dispenses vigilante justice in Hell’s Kitchen, New York.
The actor reacted to fan delight on Twitter by posting this picture.
The role – which has previously been portrayed onscreen by Dolph Lundgren (1989), Thomas Jane (2004) and Ray Stevenson (2008) – is Bernthal’s latest TV appearance following a two season stint as Shane in The Walking Dead. Bernthal has also appeared in TNT’s Mob City and feature length films like Fury and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Marvel’s head of TV, Jeph Loeb, said:
“Jon Bernthal brings an unmatched intensity to every role he takes on, with a potent blend of power, motivation and vulnerability that will connect with audiences, Castle’s appearance will bring dramatic changes to the world of Matt Murdock and nothing will be the same.”
Fans of the series have, for the most part, reacted ecstatically to the news. Bernthal took to twitter to show his gratitude, by posting a picture of himself with his dog and a Punisher comic.
The first season of Daredevil, starring British actor Charlie Cox as the lawyer/vigilante Matt Murdock, was released on Netflix back in April. The series received mass acclaim, with critics praising the show’s action sequences, performances, and the darker tone that it set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The second season of Daredevil will premiere next year.
Watch the trailer for the first season, which is still available to watch on Netflix, below.
