Most people hate on Thomas Jane as The Punisher in the much-maligned 2004 film—I’m not one of them. I found it disturbingly violent, but also surprisingly entertaining—it’s a total guilty pleasure. The film embraced its B-movie pulp tropes wholeheartedly, and John Travolta chewed the scenery as the diabolical baddie. All of this combined to create a unique R-rated entry in the Marvel canon.
Of course, I’m one of the very few who seem to positively accept this film. Critics hated it, audiences didn’t show up, and now even Jane is saying he wasn’t right for the role. What gives?
While out promoting his new film “Frontier Crucible,” Jane was asked about the 2004 ‘Punisher’ and if he’d be open to returning as Frank Castle, to which he nixed the idea, saying he was actually miscast.
He acknowledged the challenges of stepping into the role, saying, “I was miscast as Frank Castle. He’s an Italian. He’s got black hair and a whole different sort of lineage… I’m not that guy.” He further added, “I had to dye my hair black and become a different guy.”
Jane went on to reflect on the experience with gratitude, noting, “I’m happy the part is now played by someone who is more right for that role. I had fun, and I did the best I could with it. I’m very grateful for it, but I’m not that guy.”
That “someone” Jane seems to be referring to is Jon Bernthal who took on the role in the second season of Netflix’s “Daredevil,” and he’s easily had the most success with the character. Before that, Dolph Lundgren, and Ray Stevenson had also taken a crack at the character.
The 2004 Punisher was directed by Jonathan Hensleigh. It was his feature debut, and he later found some success helming “The Ice Road,” starring Liam Neeson—a film successful enough to warrant a sequel, which was released earlier this year. Hensleigh actually started off as a successful screenwriter in the biz as the scribe behind “Die Hard With A Vengeance,” “Armageddon,” “Jumanji,” and “The Saint.”
Jane shouldn’t really be putting his work in the 2004 version down. The film—and the performance—were blunt, brutal, and R-rated, staying true to the bleak spirit of the character and source material. I may be an outlier on this one, but maybe give it another look. It’s a product of a bygone era when a comic-book movie could have real edge and wasn’t afraid to offend.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.