Marvel reacquired the rights to Daredevil at the end of last month, and if recent reports are to be believed, then the studio is wasting little time in getting him back onto our screens. Charlie Cox is rumored to be joining the rapidly expanding cast of Spider-Man 3, signalling that Kevin Feige is very much open to the idea of the Netflix stars reprising their roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jon Bernthal, meanwhile, has hardly been shy about the fact that he has unfinished business with the Punisher, even after the actor revealed an extensive list of injuries he suffered while playing Frank Castle. In fact, the 44 year-old admitted as recently as a few weeks ago that he still hadn’t given up hope on returning as the vigilante, and insider Grace Randolph now claims that he’s being lined up for a future MCU project that hasn’t been announced.
Marvel don’t even have the rights to the Punisher yet, with the two-year hold set to expire in January, but based on the speed at which they’re reportedly rebooting Daredevil, if Randolph’s scoop pans out, then we could potentially be seeing Frank Castle as early as next year. Obviously, the very much R-rated nature of the character would pose some problems given the staunchly PG-13 nature of the MCU, but they could always send him off to Hulu or 20th Century Studios, both of which are better ideas than watering down the main selling point of the property with a family-friendly rating.
Of course, this is all just speculation for now, but Bernthal clearly wants it as much as the fans do, and we should get a better indication of what the future holds for the Punisher when Frank Castle is finally back in the hands of Marvel Studios next month.
