Hate to say it, but I don’t think I’ve loved a single one of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies. Give me Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2” any day of the week — still one of the best comic book movies ever made.
Here’s THR reporting that Jon Bernthal’s Punisher has joined “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” the next chapter in Sony and Marvel’s ever-evolving Spider-verse. Destin Daniel Cretton (“Shang-Chi”) is at the helm, with production slated to kick off this summer in the UK and a July 31, 2026 release date locked in.
Details on the film are being kept under tight wraps. What’s confirmed? Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are returning as MJ and Ned, though their screen time remains a mystery. Sadie Sink (“Stranger Things”) is also joining the ensemble, in what’s described as a key role.
The last instalment, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” ended with the world forgetting that Peter Parker was Spidey. That memory wipe included MJ (Zendaya), who no longer knows who Peter is. The film garnered strong reviews and grossed almost $2B worldwide worldwide.
Bernthal’s return brings a rougher edge to the otherwise teen-friendly tone of the Holland-led films. His Frank Castle doesn’t fight with webs or sorcery—he’s more street-level, lots of fists, blades, and bullets.
Could we be heading toward a tonal shift in the franchise? I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it. There’s very little chance this latest Spidey will be rated R, which means they’ll probably have to water down the usual impact, and piled ip bodies, Punisher leaves on his wrecking path.
Bernthal originally debuted as Castle in Netflix’s “Daredevil,” a performance so well-received by fans it earned him two seasons of his own show. A standalone ‘Punisher’ project is also in active development, with Bernthal reportedly helping shape the story himself.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.