Cool News
All sorts of PUNISHER developments... Mr 'Aint It Cool' himself joins the cast, Tampa isn't just host to the Champs...
Hey folks, Harry here... So we're going to get our PUNISHER teaser on the HULK, Travolta joins the cast, film to be shot in Tampa... and a nifty logo poster... Groovy. I've heard that the pic released was just something put together for this Super Advance Teaser that was especially shot to be pasted on THE HULK trailer, and is neither set designed by the folks doing the movie or shot by folks doing it. So we can chill a bit. Still doesn't strike the fact that that was one stupid looking goofy look on Thomas Jane's face. But maybe he was just told he gets to kick Vinnie Barbarino's ass - and beings he was 5 at the time that name was going around, he just sort of got dumbstruck... That could be it!
Hope you find this useful
According to Variety, Artisan Pictures and Marvel Studios have set John Travolta to play the lead villain opposite Thomas Jane in the adaptation, which Jonathan Hensleigh is directing from his own script. Filming begins in July, for a summer 2004 release. The trade gives the following description:
"The Punisher" is the tale of an FBI undercover agent who, just as he's completed his last mission that will lead to a cushy desk job, sees his family slaughtered. He becomes single-mindedly determined to exact revenge. Travolta plays Howard Saint, a former underworld figure who goes straight but returns to old habits after his son is slain. The two men square off against one another.
"Howard Saint is not a one-dimensional villain, but a real person with a believable character arc," said Artisan Pictures production president Richard Saperstein. "John brings intelligence and humanity to that character."
"We spent a lot of time discussing the role, and the things he would bring to make the villain unique," said Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad, who's producing with Gale Anne Hurd. "That proved to be the attraction. John is a great endorsement for the comic, which has been a big property for Marvel."
JaimeWow, seems like some local Tampa political folks are stepping into the action...
The Punisher in Tampa & Info
Hey Harry,
Just wanted to drop off the info to you that according to my local news program The Punisher is going to be filmed here in my hometown. Apparently the entire thing will be filmed in Tampa and he’ll apparently be roaming our streets in the movie and scenes from Tampa will be in it. John Starke from Artisan announced it today at a tourism luncheon. They’re talking to vacant building owners for implosions and such. Our ex mayor will be in a Jazz bar scene and our current mayor has been casted too. They also said that “a major actor” will be cast to play the role as the Punisher.
See ya, Jack.and the groovy stylin' poster...
Hi Harry, here's a link to the Punisher A Style Poster.
Enjoy!
Miles
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That's right next door! Cya! *zoom*
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heh.
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Why in the fuck dont they just make Travolta be the Punisher, and let thomas Jane be a bad guy....... Travolta is not my first choice for the punisher, but he would be about a million times better for the part than Thomas "Mary" Jane..... think about it, he's a good actor, he's in excellent shape, he's a good age for the punisher, he has black hair, and he's Italian, Thomas Jane is none of the above. MY BRAIN IS BIG DAN!
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May 14, 2003 8:55:58 AM CDT
Travolta's powers include sounding like a dumbass and looking fa
by son of batboy
Wow, with Travolta aboard how on Earth could this movie suck? Wait, hold on a second, the needle just broke on my Craptometer.
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May 14, 2003 9:25:59 AM CDT
"Travolta's powers include sounding like a dumbass and looking f
by eau hellz gnaw
Don't forget flying jets JFK Jr. style, and not being able to act. Tarantino throws this chump a bone (he sucked in Pulp Fiction by the way), and all of a sudden he's considered a great actor? WTF? Did people not see White Man's Burden? Battlefield Earth? Michael? Domestic Disturbance? He was never a good actor to begin with. His old movies stank like skunk ass--including Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Oh yeah, Punisher will suck.
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May 14, 2003 9:37:53 AM CDT
BAH! everyone knows that Michael Clarke Duncan should have been
by theaflacduck
Yep! Starring as ... dun, dun, dun ... The Kingpin!!! Fresh out of jail after being put there by Daredevil and ready to hold up some Marvel Movie continuity!!! Or perhaps that's asking too much. Ah well, at least have the big guy have a cameo in Spider-Man 2 or something. Y'know, Peter Parker is attending some function taking pictures for the Bugle and he runs into Wilson Fisk! Who was recently outed at "The Kingpin" ... yet still flatly denies the charges. & Also, Ben Urich should have been working for the Bugle in Daredevil. AFLAC!
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May 14, 2003 9:42:31 AM CDT
THE ONLY GREAT THING TRAVOLTA HAS EVER DONE, IS THE MOST FANTAST
by sir-sledge450
"IM GONA GO TAKE A PISS", from pulp fiction.Genius, sheer genius.
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He does do sneering villain in his sleep, after all. But as for Thomas, you naysayers have got to lay off. Every single time a casting suggestion is made for a superhero it's negativity central here. Give the guy a break - Marvel haven't screwed up the casting yet, if they gave it to him it's cause he has the chops for it. Plus it's against my religion to complain about a role being given to a good-looking man; it strikes a blow for equality of the sexes if men have to be pretty too. Not sure I'd go see Punisher with Travolta as, say, the lead instead of the villain.
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Yeah, at this point, there's really nothing to save this project. And, sadly, it's shit like this that's going to ruin this second wind of the comic book movie. Between this and GhostRider, we'll probably never see the third X-Men and Spider-man movies.
The biggest problem with this movie is the piss poor casting. The Punisher is damn good material, the save way Batman is good material. It's not about super powers or weird special effects shit. It's all about a great mix of deep, dark psychological exploration through characterization and shit blowing up. But when you cast some scrawny lightweight pussy as Frank Castle and put him up against John Travolta, of all people, as the villain...you're just begging for mockery. Granted, I didn't think Tobey Maguire could pull off Peter Parker, but much to my surprise, he actually looked the part - a very young Peter Parker, mind you, but Peter Parker nonetheless - when they started shooting. But Thomas Jane? Please! Unless that guy puts on a good 40-50 lbs of pure muscle and dyes his hair black, there's no fucking way. I don't care how good an actor he may be - which I'm not convinced he is - he has to LOOK the part. Or it's utterly laughable. Right now he looks like a kid that got stuffed in a lot of lockers in high school. And that's sure as hell not how I picture the Punisher! -
John Travolta? Oh come on! This crap keeps getting worse and worse. Harry, since you and Avi are such good buddies, please for the love of god don't let them rush this project into the realm of that shitty Spawn movie. That's where it's headed. Such a shame.
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May 14, 2003 12:00:48 PM CDT
This is the funniest movie news in a long fucking time!
by blue_in_the_face
Travolta as the baddie? You are fucking kidding me? Filmed in Tampa, Florida? I live in Orlando and I can't wait to drive to where they are filming and watch how a cinematography disaster is made! Why Tampa? I just hope that the movie crew don't take the wrong way and end up in the outskirts surrounded by murderous rednecks with two teeth!
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May 14, 2003 12:01:39 PM CDT
This is the funniest movie news in a long fucking time!
by blue_in_the_face
Travolta as the baddie? You are fucking kidding me? Filmed in Tampa, Florida? I live in Orlando and I can't wait to drive to where they are filming and watch how a cinematography disaster is made! Why Tampa? I just hope that the movie crew don't take the wrong way and end up in the outskirts surrounded by murderous rednecks with two teeth!
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I don't know what's on that site because it isn't working, but I did a kind of a poster image myself - http://www.agentzeromovie.com/punisher.htm
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Without seeing what's in the box, would anyone throw a gift away just because the wrapping sucks?
Well, I'm tired of people ripping apart a movie that hasn't been made yet. Dismissing it as a hunk of monkey-ass based on some cheesy press release photo is just senseless.
Wait to see what's in the box before you chuck it over your should next to the monogrammed socks from your Aunt Ruth. You know, the aunt with the mustache?!?!
That's my rant..... -
Jeese, they are using the same origin as that bad Punisher movie....I guess Marvel never learns.....
Hey guys, if you're listening, The Punisher is a soldier, not a cop......try to learn something from the first Punisher movie.....it sucked because it was the wrong origin and he didn't wear a costume.....the only thing similar to the book was the title of the movie....
Letsee if these idiots can try to get it right....because from that press release, it sounds like they got it all wrong.....
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Undercover FBI agent?!? Yeah, those damned Feds are always going beserk and turning into killing machines. Come on! The whole Vietnam Vet thing is the heart and soul of the Punisher! Only with an origin like that could I believe Frank Castle would be so immune to violence. Oh, and Florida? Instead of the rainy Gothamesque New York backdrop that is essential to The Punisher, they give us FLORIDA? Christ why don't we film the next Batman movie in Hawaii while we're at it?
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It never ceases to amaze me the way everyone just jumps on the old bandwagon around here. All it takes is for one person to say "This sucks", or some other such shit, and suddenly everyone else is an expert. "Yeah, it's gonna suck!!" Before a single scene has been shot. You guys should be out there selling your psychic abilities to the highest bidder, obviously you're talents are wasted sitting on your plump arses in your parent's basements. Why don't you try actually WAITING for a movie to be released and see it before shooting your big mouths off. Give it a try, see how it goes, you might enjoy it!! You remember how all you turds were saying Lord of the Rings was "gonna suck", and now you can't wait to kiss Peter Jackson's Hobbity ass? Not that The Punisher is going to be in that league, i'm sure, but give it a chance. Hopefully it'll be a wee bit better than Dolph's effort. Probably not, but i look forward to seeing how it turns out.
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It WOULD be cool, also if they could stick to the Vietnam origins of Punisher, but unless you want it set in the early 80's, or have Frank played by a 60 year old, that isn't likely. I can just imagine it..."This year...Harvey Keitel IS.....The Punisher!!" Actually, he would kick arse if they decided to do an older guy as Frank. I don't think the sorta young Gulf War veteran type Punisher would really go down too well. How about he's a Grenada veteran? "Didn't that last, like, 12 hours?" I always thought Kurt Russell woulda been great as Frank. But that's just me.
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Yup, too much time on my hands...so I came up with my own version of a Punisher poster. Go look and judge me on my work like I'm a Wachowski Brother! http://members.aol.com/k0ny/punished.jpg
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"that stupid fucking eyebrow midget"
Best single phrase description I have ever read of Toothy Tommy. -
"that stupid fucking eyebrow midget"
Best single phrase description I have ever read of Toothy Tommy. -
May 14, 2003 6:41:45 PM CDT
All you Thomas Jane bashers should rent "Boogie Nights" and then
by tarl_cabot
He is a good actor-give him a chance.I wish he was cast as Daredevil instead of the Punisher. He is a billion times better than Ben Affleck(not saying much!). This movie movie may suck but unlike Daredevil the star won't be the main reason.The Punisher is being directed by a guy who also wrote the script. I hope it's better than that rag MSJ wrote and directed.I hold out hope unlike DD when we all knew that was going to suck. But I do wonder why film in Tampa of all cities?
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Before you guys start laughing.....just look at the guy.....it's like he stepped off the page of a John Buscema/ John Romita Jr. Punisher comic. Plus, like John Wayne in the movies, the guy's acting improves with each new movie or Oz episode/TV series.
Although, they'll want to go with an established star.......:( -
this guy is the same person in every movie. he will never get past being vinnie barbarino. i have spent most of my life seeing this guy make a career out of smiling like some vacant idiot while attempting to portray cowboys, presidents, greasers, disco dancers and gangsters, and yet he still looks like a big goofy kid from brooklyn. the biggest acting stretch this guy ever made was battlefield earth, and that sucked balls so bad that it made kevin costner movies look like citizen kane. this punisher movie is going to make lundgren's look kinda cool.
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This really is premature criticism. Travolta's inclusion in the film doesn't necessarily mean it will suck (Pulp Fiction). However, top-notch actors should probably be doing the lifting in a film like this. I mean, Travolta's not terrible, just...I dunno. Maybe Arad sees something that we don't. Chances are it was more like IT'S JOHN FRICKIN' TRAVOLTA! A FAMOUS DUDE! HOW COULD YOU SAY NO?! I don't really like the way that Arad is whoring himself (or is it pimping? Hmm....) for this movie when there's absolutely nothing to get excited about yet. The fact that the shitty picture that popped up online a few months back has little to no implication of how good this film will be is promising. We don't really know enough yet to make any prognostications for this film's success, so whatever. I'll hold my breath. And it sounds like somebody's been playing too much Vice City (I know that's Miami, but you get the idea). And that's a pretty nifty teaser poster.
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If they were going to get Travolta to be in it, they should have just cast him as the Punisher, when he's all buffed up, like in Basic, he looks the part. Most of the movies he's made lately haven't been very good, I'm sure he's kicking himself in the ass for turning down Chicago. It's funny, Richard Gere pretty much owes his career to Travolta turning down good parts, like American Gigilo, An Officer And A Gentleman, and Breathless.
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That was the most unintentionally funny post I think I've read in a while. "Those bastards are gonna make some pussy superhero movie where it's NOT good to create a pile of dead bodies like you're playing a video game. Then people won't think it's okay to release your frustration by killing bad guys real good."
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May 14, 2003 10:17:41 PM CDT
Also, I think that you overestimate the scope of the "liberal, p
by ribbons
Blade, anyone?
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Call me a faggot-ass white dickhead, but I still say there's no way of determining whether or not the casting of Travolta is a bad thing. It's certainly not a good thing the way, say, hearing that Ian McKellen would play Magneto in the 'X-Men' franchise was; his casting isn't good news by virtue of his presence alone. While it's understandable, ebonic_plague, that you're pessimistic, I still don't think that we know enough about the film to determine it's going to suck. Think about it: there is absolutely no word-of-mouth that isn't borne out of somebody's reputation. I'd say sit on all this hostility for a while, and if it looks like it's gonna suck, THEN release it. Oh, and Tampa?! Was that just an arbitrary decision? Why the fuck Tampa? The art deco (I've never actually explored the city, my apologies)? Would've preferred Chicago, but I guess that looked too much like New York(/Vancouver) to them.
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BRUCE CAMPBELL!!!!!
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Being a resident of Tampa, I have one question for you folks in the know. Was Travolta signed before or after Tampa was picked as the location for The Punisher?
Those of you who are not fortunate enough to live here may not know this, but the Church of Scientology has a large complex and owns several buildings in Clearwater, which is one of the cities in the metroplex. Did Vinnie Barbarino sign on so he could be close to his people, or did he influence the choice of location? As far as looking for buildings to blow up, the church definitely owns several down here so perhaps Travolta can get a good deal. -
Tampa must have looked a LOT like Vancouver, if you catch my drift. (wink wink nudge nudge it's inexpensive).
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Stallone. Not Frank, but Sly :)
He's Italian, Old enough to be in 'Nam and he's tough. Slap a Skull Vest and a Trench coat. There ya have it.
Instant Punisher. -
May 15, 2003 1:13:39 AM CDT
"THE PUNISHER" certainly has possibilities, both through story a
by jdanielp
Imagine a criminal who just happens to glimpse something or SOMEONE in an alley, in the shadows ... and his eyes focus ... and he can only make out the face and the SKULL (The SKULL!!! It's the PUNISHER!!! -- This is the part where the criminal soils his pants!!!) sO, ... iF thE fiLMaKeRS d0 thEiR jObS ... wE iN thE aUdiENcE wiLL s0iL oUr pANtS, to0.
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May 15, 2003 5:57:42 AM CDT
Travolta is a shit choice for a villain - he always in 'campy, w
by spacesheik
This movie needs a menacing, serious, loathsome villain, not one of those Travolta "im so bad im good" type villains he plays. You need to root for the Punisher to take the villain and his scum out - Travolta is too likeable and campy. He will ruin the film. It will turn into another Face-Off and I would hate that.
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When I first heard about the casting of Thomas Jane for the role of the Punisher, I couldn't picture him in my mind. Then I saw the publicity shot of the little snowflake. What the infernal fuck are the geniuses behind this picture thinking? Is there some reason why Hollywood insists that the Punisher be blonde, and in this case a skinny, weaksuck little bitch, too? And now we learn that the great star of Chains of Gold (getting second billing in that great film behind Joey "wo!" Lawrence, no less), Mr. John Fatass Scenery-Chewer Travolta, is going to play the heavy (har) in it as well! That's just great! As others have noted already, Travolta is incapable of delivering a non-hammy performance as a villain. His "ain't it cool?" line from Face/Off is up there with the most groan-inducing, cheesiest and lamest wannabe memorable baddie taglines EVER. We can only hope that his flying abilities are comparable with those of John-John. As far as this turd-in-the-making known as the Punisher goes, one word will suffice -- yeecch.
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Don't worry, I didn't think that was your actual intent; I just thought it was funny that the post could be misconstrued that way. I also don't know where that quote is from so...uhhh? Is it from one of the 'Blade' flicks or something? I'm not very cultured.
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Moronic producing woman that shouldn`t ever be in this business in the first place!!!
Thomas Jane...Travolta...all these guys should be ashamed of themselves to give us crap like that. I mean everything that should go wrong with a progect like that goes wrong.
What`s funny is that Travolta is bigger and looks more menacing than that Jane pretty boy.
THIS IS A SAD FUCKING AFFAIR -
OK all you NAYSAYERS all I have to say to you is 311. Now as for the casting for the Punisher, the only thing that is making these new age comicbook movies worth seeing is the casting. They are not going overboard getting ALL THESE CELEBS to do these movies, which is giving the audience a fresh start with these characters. Thomas Jane is really not a bad actor, My favorite role he was in was Deep Blue Sea, and from that and all his other movies, he is a pretty decent actor. As for John Travolta being a bad guy, that he can do,hello, FACE OFF, PULP FICTION, he was even bad as the other goldmember in austin powers. The only thing that could ruin the new wave of movies is that Hollywood OVER does it, seeing how it is that all the movies:X-MEN,X2,Spiderman,Blade,Blade 2, and DAREDEVIL have all kicked ass so far its about time they introduced some of thier other books as well. This run at the punisher could be nothing but an improvement over the old one with Dolph. By the way has DC just gave up on the movie biz??
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Aug 05, 2003 9:04:28 AM CDT
The first Punisher was so bad it's a fuckin classic "Ask him to
by shogunpoker
I have read the Punisher since I was a kid, and as much as I hated the movie when it came out, I now consider it a classic. Come on, say it with me, "You're a good boy Tommy. Grow up to be a good man."
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Florida, fuck no! New York, The real New York, no fucking stand in city. Director, John Woo enough said. Script, the punisher year one book. Frank Castle, Jonathan Stratcham.
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Two words: Detective Soap.
That is the character who, if cast properly and well written, could make this one of the best comic book movies ever.
Or at least save it from being... well... what it looks like now.
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