The Punisher's Jon Bernthal has shared his hopes that the show could return after all.
The former Walking Dead star led the cast of the Marvel/Netflix TV show, which was cancelled last year after two seasons on the streaming service (along with its other Marvel TV series Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones).
While speaking to Geek House Show, Jon was asked about the prospect of The Punisher coming back for a "continuation" of Frank Castle's story.
Related: What went wrong with Marvel's Netflix universe?
"There's always hope, you know?" he said, adding: "It's unbelievably humbling how much people sort of responded to this version of Frank, and I can't tell you how much it means to me, because he means so much to me and he's in my blood, he's in my bones.
"So it's not about whether we do it, it's about getting it right, and doing the version that the fans really deserved, and we'll see."
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Jon added that while obviously the decision isn't his alone, he'd be "ready" to come back to the character.
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"All of those decisions are made in rooms I am not invited into, you know – and that's okay with me. I've got great stuff going on, I'm enormously blessed to have as much work that's exciting to me and fulfilling for me," he continued.
"But Frank's always there, he's always a part of me. And when we get the call to go, I'll be ready, and I'll make sure that I do everything I can to make sure that we do it right, or we won't do it at all."
Jon has been cast as Julian Kaye in the lead role of Showtime's American Gigolo, a present-day retelling of the Richard Gere movie. That show was ordered for a pilot episode just before the current global situation forced production delays across the TV and movie industry.
Meanwhile, one person who's ruled himself out of playing the Punisher is Frank Grillo, who previously appeared in the MCU as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones.
Although he'd previously shared a desire to play the role, Frank has made it clear that he doesn't want to tread on his friend's toes.
"That's not in my trajectory now," he said earlier this year. "It's not where my life is taking me anymore, and my friend Jonny Bernthal did an amazing job.
"My life and what I want to do is much different now, and I think I'm outgrowing that whole kind-of Marvel and superhero thing."
The Punisher seasons 1-2 are still available to stream on Netflix.
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Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
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