Punisher in film

The fictional character of Frank Castle, also known as the Punisher, a comic book vigilante featured in Marvel Comics publications, has appeared in several films, many of them unrelated to each other. The first live-action film in 1989, was released theatrically worldwide then straight to video in the U.S., and starred Dolph Lundgren. The second film was released in theaters and starred Thomas Jane. After an unsuccessful script of Punisher 2, the film series was then rebooted again in 2008 with the film Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson.

Besides the three live action films, the character was also the subject of two fan films and has appeared in several animated films.

The first film, known simply as The Punisher is a film that was released straight to video by New World Pictures in 1989 that is most notable for lacking the character's signature skull. Marvel hired Jonathan Hensleigh to write and direct the 2004 film which was mainly based on two Punisher comic books stories; The Punisher: Year One and Welcome Back, Frank.

A direct sequel was supposed to follow based on strong DVD sales, but the lack of a good script kept the project in development for over 3 years, and by the end both Jonathan Hensleigh and Thomas Jane pulled out. In a statement on May 15, 2007 In June 2007, Lexi Alexander was hired to direct and Ray Stevenson was hired in July to play the Punisher in the newly titled Punisher: War Zone, which became a reboot, and not a sequel to 2004's The Punisher. This is the second time the film series has been rebooted, after the 2004 production rebooted 1989's The Punisher. The film was released on December 5, 2008. The films primarily focus on Frank's vigilante crusade after the death of his family.

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