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'Had A Great Time': Jon Bernthal Opens Up About Training Beside Fellow Punisher Star Thomas Jane
Jon Bernthal, renowned for his gritty portrayal of Frank Castle in the Netflix series, had a fortuitous encounter with Thomas Jane, the star of the 2004 standalone Punisher film.
When multiverses and crossovers become a thing in the world of superheroes, sometimes reality surprisingly imitates art. One such case was when Jon Bernthal, who brought to life Frank Castle in The Punisher TV series, ran into Thomas Jane, the actor who portrayed the same character in Lionsgate's 2004 standalone film. This happened when Bernthal was busy with the preparation of his appearance in the upcoming series, Daredevil: Born Again, during a showcase for D23.
Bernthal shared this surprise reunion with Entertainment Weekly as he said one day he just bumped into Jane at a gun range where both actors were training. Bernthal just knew that the possibility of two actors who portrayed the character of Frank Castle running into each other is huge in itself. "We trained the same day at the gun range together. While I was training for this, he happened to be there. But it was an incredible opportunity to be with him and get his take on it and an honor to be with him. He’s someone I respect. I respect him deeply, and we had a great time."
Thomas Jane was only the second actor to portray Marvel's infamous antihero, Frank Castle, following in the footsteps of Dolph Lundgren, who originated the part back in 1989. Thomas Jane's take on the dark 2004 film The Punisher decidedly put him in fans' minds forever. Since then, Ray Stevenson took over the role for 2008's Punisher: War Zone. Bernthal would eventually make his first appearance as Frank Castle in season two of Netflix's Daredevil that would lead to his own series, The Punisher, for two seasons.
Bernthal returning as the hard-boiled vigilante in Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again is monumental, considering the original Netflix series got canceled in 2018. Bernthal will join Charlie Cox, who is returning as Matt Murdock, the blind crime-fighter aka Daredevil. Other returning fan favorite characters include Karen Page, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, and the powerful adversary Kingpin a.k.a. Wilson Fisk. Cox and D'Onofrio recently showed up to reprise their respective characters in other Marvel projects such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Hawkeye, and Echo.
Vincent D'Onofrio quipped that, well, just having all these actors together in one series was already a nod to the original Netflix run, adding that new series would revisit storylines from years past: "There are storylines that reach back to the original series," D'Onofrio said, teasing how the revival would remain connected to the origins of the characters but move the story forward.
Charlie Cox would also like the fact that these continuities in the series bring about depth because of shared character history, but he would also mention why doing so had disadvantages: "The thing is, history provides richness, but it can become a burden if not carefully given space. The way that our writers and Dario Scardapane, our showrunner, have been able to do this—I think—has been really great. It's acknowledged, but the characters are not necessarily tied to it.".
He also told them that character development is done thoughtfully, and any key change in Frank Castle or any other character is quite explained. "If there were things that were much different,. it was done for a reason and very intentional," he said, further emphasizing respect for the characters and the audience.
It's something Deborah Ann Woll also reiterated, soothing fan fears by confirming that all that happened to the characters in the past three seasons is still part of who they are. At the same time, Daredevil: Born Again will deal with these characters at a completely different time in their lives, with completely different perspectives and problems.
The good thing is that with Daredevil: Born Again, finally premiering on Disney+ in March 2025, fans are going to be treated to both a show that's true to its roots and yet finds new spaces for some very dear characters.
ALSO READ: Jon Bernthal Promises Daredevil: Born Again Will Take Marvel Series to the Next Level
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