Joe Lynch Digs Suggestion To Direct Netflix PUNISHER Series And Has Approval Of Lexi Alexander

We have one more cool thing to add before heading-off for the holidays. While we've been seeing Marvel lining up actors for Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (where is our Iron Fist?) for the eventual big team-up Netflix series The Defenders. We've been curious what wave two of the Marvel-Netflix series could look like.

Characters like Punisher, Moon Knight and Blade have been serious contenders, since film adaptations of these mostly R-rated characters seem unlikely to hit screens anytime soon. Marvel is going to focus on more family friendly material that would likely mean PG-13 content. The talk of Netflix series being more dark and taking a "PG-16" approach could help Marvel go all the way with the second wave. Drew Pearce has could be interested in a Punisher short, and the Russo Brothers jokingly hinted Castle was in Winter Soldier.

There was a cool suggestion recently of seeing writer-director Joe Lynch (Knights of Badassdom, Everly) handling a Punisher series for Netflix. What does Joe Lynch think about this suggestion? He responded via Twitter with a brief statement of interest. Let's hope we get a pitch from Mr. Lynch to Marvel down the road.

@_ChristopherM @Marvel @netflix that would be amazing. Hey I did VENOM right supposedly! I wanna storm The Castle!
— Joe Lynch (@TheJoeLynch) December 24, 2014

Joe could be a bit more vocal about this desire when he starts the press tour for his female-driven action flick Everly. The current go-to question in the press these days is if directors or actors are interested in comic book projects. A perfect platform for Joe to get his campaign out there.



UPDATE: Here is the badass  trailer for Everly and it gives-off the potential of what Joe could do with the Punisher material.

This would be Joe's first Marvel character he's tackled. He made the Venom short Truth In Journalism which was set in the bootleg Marvel universe. Funny enough, the bootleg universe also includes a Punisher short with Thomas Jane reprising the role. It's a cool short but obviously too dark for Sony, even though we've already suggested Joe to be considered as the director of Venom. Since we've seen directors Gary Ross, Josh Trank and Alex Kurtzman jump-ship.



You can tell he enjoys comic books and even waxed poetic about badass female characters at Comic-Con this summer, while promoting Everly. A new series could also give us Castle's protege Rachel Alves, and Joe would be great at adapting her story/motivation.

What does the last film's director think of this choice? Well Punisher: War Zone's Lexi Alexander also took to Twitter giving her support to Joe, stating she would be "ecstatic". Lexi is also actually curious what happened with Fox's Punisher pilot.

@_ChristopherM Most of all, I would be ecstatic if @TheJoeLynch would get is hands on any Punisher adaptation.
— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) December 24, 2014

@_ChristopherM @TheJoeLynch whatever happened to the Punisher pilot the showrunner of criminal minds was shooting?
— Lexi Alexander (@Lexialex) December 24, 2014

That seemingly happened around the same time Lionsgate gave the rights back to Marvel Studios. The relationship between Fox and Marvel have been heated lately. You might have missed this, but The Punisher actually kills the cast of Fox's Fantastic Four reboot in a recent comic book. Could this maybe explain why that Punisher pilot never saw the light of day?

It goes even further when there's talk that Fantastic Four and mutants are being phased-out of the comic books. A thumb into the eyes of Fox who rely on Marvel to promote their Marvel properties in the comics and other media. A major issue with Marvel  problem is whenever they create new characters for either Fantastic Four or X-Men comics, Fox automatically get's the rights to use them in movies. Phasing both comics out means Marvel is free to expand their film universes without helping Fox. Marvel's Inhumans are expected to be slowly replacing X-Men's mutants, and could be a way for Marvel to move forward without the X-Men. It's also another way to explain new characters entering the MCU as well without their bizarre backstories.

Oddly enough, Fox was also trying to make a series around Moon Knight as well but that didn't come together either.

What does this mean for the future live-action Punisher stuff? Talk has since gone around that Marvel Studios should consider taking a series to HBO, Showtime, AMC or FXX. While this could have excellent potential, Marvel is now working with Netflix as their production partner. Remember, original series like House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black are R-rated material, so they wouldn't be opposed to giving these R-rated Marvel shows a home. Considering Netflix and Marvel have already partnered for five shows, the next wave happening there as well seems like a no-brainer.

We've seen that Marvel finding creatives to head-up each show so far. Marvel hiring Spartacus' Steven D. Knight (with scripts from Lost's Drew Goddard) making Daredevil and Dexter's Melissa Rosenberg making Jessica Jones (along with giving us our first episodes with Luke Cage). The expectation is that a Punisher series would be in need of a writer-director with an action background. I have a feeling Joe Lynch would make an excellent choice to head-up a series like Punisher.

I wouldn't rule-out John Wick's Chad Stahelski getting involved with action work with Marvel in the future as well. Fingers crossed he get's a call as well.

I'm doubtful Marvel will want to see Ray Stevenson reprise the role, but since his Thor contract will be up soon he could stick around. Here are a couple of suggestions if Marvel does end-up recasting. Actors I'd like to see in the role include Karl Urban (Lord of The Rings, Star Trek, Dredd, Almost Human, Red, Bourne Supremacy), Clive Owen (Children of Men, Bourne Identity, Killer Elite, Shoot 'Em Up, The Knick, Inside Man, Sin City, The Driver) and Joe Manganiello (Spider-Man, Knight of Cups, Magic Mike, True Blood, Sabotage).

What do you think? Should Marvel make Punisher a priority for their second wave of Netflix shows? Also, should Joe Lynch be the guy to mastermind that series for Marvel?

If Drew Pearce Were To Make A PUNISHER Series/One-Shot, What Comics Would Influence Him?

I think you'd agree that James Gunn is one of the few people involved with Marvel Studios, to make the time to interact with fans. Another person who is always in active dialog with the fan base is writer and director Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Sherlock Holmes 3, Mission: Impossible 5) . If you don't remember, Drew co-wrote Iron Man 3 with Shane Black and directed the All Hail The King One-Shot (which he also wrote) short which teased the real Mandarin and setup Luke Cage's Seagate Prison. Pearce also penned the script for The Runaways movie that was effectively put into development limbo.



Drew sneakily added a small Easter Egg to All Hail The King, which hinted to villains and mob families connected to Frank Castle. Seagate Prison is currently holding a mob boss responsible for the murder of his family. Pearce has responded to the possibility of doing work on something involved with The Punisher. Pointing-out a preference to the runs from Gregg Rucka and Matt Fraction. Along with mentioning the backstory of Rachel Cole, Frank's recent sidekick. This is by no means confirmation he is or will be doing this in the future, but it's lovely to hear that Pearce doesn't hate the idea.

@_ChristopherM The Rucka and Fraction runs are the ones I'd be really into. Love the Cole storyline (and the way Checchetto draws Frank).
— Drew Pearce (@mrdrewpearce) September 16, 2014

At this point, we have zero indication that Marvel will indeed move forward with a Punisher series or even One-Shot, but the fan demand in clearly there. Even with the Russo Brothers jokingly mentioning someone being behind the wheel in a couple of scenes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier being a strong candidate for a One-Shot. Most assume they are speaking of Frank Castle, but could be just a joke from the comedic filmmakers.

"The man who drives that truck," Joe deadpans, joking that the driver is a candidate for a future Marvel One-Shot, "Is very highly trained. He thinks on his own terms. He's got a plan and a very specific skill set." 

I wouldn't be too shocked if saw a pre-tragic Frank being a special ops operator in the former SHIELD, in the third Captain America film. Castle has ties to both Fury/Rogers and anything is possible, now that Marvel is able to use characters where ever they want. Another possibility is showing-up in the Netflix series, Daredevil making the most sense. A lot of people are expecting a Punisher series being considered for a second wave of Netflix shows.

We've had a couple of actors even try to put their name into consideration. Frank Grillo wanted a shot, but that might be an issue as he's already played villain Brock Rumlow (Crossbones) in Winter Soldier. Another actor is a bit more unlikely, as Milo Ventimiglia (Gamer, Pathology, Heroes) took to Twitter and reveal his campaign for the role. There has even been calls to bring back Thomas Jane or Ray Stevenson, but I'm not sure that's the best idea.

I personally think that Marvel should be targeting actors like Dylan McDermott (Olympus Has Fallen, Survivor, American Horror Story, Hamburger Hill, In The Line Of Fire). Someone that is well known from film work, but isn't opposed to doing a Netflix series (or cameos). Dylan's work on the Vietnam action flick Hamburger Hill, might help fans sign-on to the idea. It doesn't hurt he's been playing bad guys lately in movies like Olympus Has Fallen. He's also proved with American Horror Story he can handle dramatic roles as well.






A couple of other actors I wouldn't getting into the mix, would be Clive Owen (Children of Men, Bourne Identity, Inside Man, Killer Elite, The Driver, Sin City, Shoot 'Em Up) or Superman candidate Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Sabotage, Magic Mike, Spider-Man). Owen would mean we'll have a third foreign actor playing Castle, which I'm not opposed to. However, it's likely the reason people champion Thomas Jane for the role.



SOURCE: TWITTER

Christopher Meloni Joins SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

Deadline reports another new addition to the cast of Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. They say that Christopher Meloni will be playing a cop in the film which could mean he's playing a baddie. Meloni recently had a supporting role in Warner Bros' Superman reboot Man of Steel. Josh Brolin (Planet Terror, Oldboy, Gangster Squad) is still being mentioned for a seperate part in the film. The rest of the cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper), Mickey Rourke (Wrestler), Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Dennis Haysbert (24, The Unit), Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch, Hangover 2), Jamie King, Jessica Alba (Machete Kills) and Rosario Dawson (Trance).

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joins SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR, Might Have Passed On GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Deadline reports that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) is in final negotiations for a supporting role in Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. His character Johnny was newly created for the film and would be that of a smooth gambler. According to the site it was originally developed for Johnny Depp but it sounds like he passed on it. Along with confirming the return of Clive Owen and Bruce Willis. The film is currently in production and likely wouldn't conflict with JGL making Guardians of The Galaxy or Justice League as well. However, that doesn't stop the site from stating talks with Marvel for Guardians are over and the studio is considering other candidates. It's possible like with Godzilla, he could have passed on the role of Peter Quill entirely.

The site also mentions that Josh Brolin is being linked for another role in Sin City 2. Brolin previously had a villainous part in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror.

Chilling Trailer For 'SHADOW DANCER' Starring Andrea Riseborough And Clive Owen

'SIN CITY 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR' Shooting This Summer, Michelle Williams And Mel Gibson Wanted For Roles?

Deadline has the official press release that Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For is moving forward with a summer production start. It also includes the announcement of Robert Rodriguez re-teaming with his co-director Frank Miller for the sequel. This is a massive relief for fans who have been waiting more than five years to hear this news. Don't get your hopes up until cameras actually start rolling. We've all been here before with Rodriquez when he famously had costumes and sets built for the Barbarella remake only to walkout on it. It's unknown at this point if they'll be able to get original cast members to return but casting is going to be in full swing soon.

Deadline adds that Michelle Williams and Mel Gibson are being pursued for roles. If Gibson did agree to join the cast the assumption is that if the film is successful it could help resurrect his acting career. Similar to how the first film helped Mickey Rourke back into the spotlight leading to Oscar nominated roles like The Wrestler. I wouldn't be shocked if Mel ends up replacing Rourke as Marv, since Mickey has repeatedly stated he wouldn't return because of the makeup involved. A lot of the characters that were killed off in Sin City are expected to return in some fashion for A Dame To Kill For since most of the events take place prior to that film.

FILMS THAT SHOULD BE MADE: Frank Miller's Hard Boiled

Back in 2001, it was announced by Variety that Warner Bros. and David Fincher were going to be adapting the much praised and visually stunning graphic novel Hard Boiled from Frank Miller and artist Geof Darrow. Nicolas Cage was in talks to play the lead character Nixon. This ultimately didn't happen and everyone involved walked away from the film. The comic is similar to a mix of Fifth Element/Heavy Metal meets Blade Runner/Sin City. It features the setting of an over populated gritty futuristic L.A. littered with violence. The main character Nixon seems to live a double life but is unaware of it. Believing he's just an average family man. 

During the height of the successful releases of Sin City and 300 it was back in development. Frank Miller talking to MTV mentioned he was in talks to direct it. The project quickly went into limbo when Miller's directing debut The Spirit tanked. If Warner Bros. is dying to make more comic book films Hard Boiled should be on the top of their list since the material if prime for an adaptation. The studio is currently beginning production on the sequel/prequel to Miller's 300 in the next couple of months which is somewhat inspired by his new graphic novel Xerxes.

THOUGHTS ON A DIRECTOR:

My first thoughts went to Luc Besson mainly because of the design and scope of his film The Fifth Element. That film borrowed a lot of from the original Hard Boiled artwork by artist Geof Darrow. Yet it looks like he's got enough projects in development along with another original science fiction blockbuster on the way.



Ultimately the best director for this would be Paul Verhoeven who has tackled this satirical science fiction material previously with Robocop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers. Yet, the Dutch director has stated many times his distaste for sci-fi. It's extremely assuming since he's one of the best directors of the genre. Personally, I'd love to Verhoeven return for one more crazy genre outing like Hard Boiled.



I wouldn't rule out a studio loyalist like Christopher Nolan tackling the material. Since someone like Fincher was originally interested I wouldn't dismiss Nolan taking on the subject matter. He's long stated that he's a massive a fan of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and has dabbled with science fiction elements with both Prestige and Inception. This film explores similar elements used in Blade Runner and other films based on Philip K. Dick stories. Nolan is exiting the Batman franchise but hasn't announced for sure what his next film will be. He's notorious for not committing to another film until the one before it is released, focusing his entire attention to one film at a time. Given that fact we have no clue what he'll do next.

Snyder has already proven he can handle large scoped projects and delivered somewhat successful comic book adaptations with 300 and Watchmen. The way Zack recreated a 1980's Manhattan could work when a super stylized future L.A. is the setting. It helped earn him the coveted directing gig on Man of Steel. If the studio does end up for an R-rated rating Zack seems like one of the best directors to pull this off. The only problem here is that it's expected if successful he'll be asked to make the sequel to Man of Steel. If a sequel happens I assume a trilogy will be worked out during the development of Man of Steel 2.

Newcomer directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger seem like they could do big things with a large budget film like Hard Boiled. The pair are about to release their smaller budgeted science fiction actioner Lockout in April which they both directed and wrote with producer Luc Besson. This Hollywood-like film was made on the cheap and has some impressive sets/effects all things considering. I feel if Lockout is successful big studios will be knocking down their door very quickly. I get the impression that they could make a plausable adaptation and without a massive bloated budget. Along with writing a tailor-make script to fit both a low budget and their visual style.



WHO SHOULD PLAY NIXON?:

When the news first surfaced I originally had Bruce Willis in mind but that doesn't possible as the role seems more psychical than I believe he can handle stunt-wise at his age. This is something I picture a younger 90's Willis being perfect for. With that in mind a few names come to mind. They include Russell Crowe (Gladiator, American Gangster), Michael Shannon (Man of Steel, Take Shelter, Boardwalk Empire) and Clive Owen (Sin City, Children of Men) who are able to play the everyman but can be highly action driven as well when needed.

CAST EM": X-Men First Class Sequel

20th Century Fox seems eager to start production on a sequel to X-Men First Class. They already have a writer working on draft while they still have to resign Matthew Vaughn to direct. We know that the original cast is likely returning as they signed a three picture deal which is common with these type of films.

One of my biggest pet peeves with First Class was that most of the supporting mutants were beyond obscure even for me as an X-Men fan. Mutants like Darwin, Riptide and Angel Salvadore could have been replaced with ones fans recognize. I understand having Havok and Azazel in there to plant seeds for future films. If this is indeed a reboot of the franchise we need to see wronged characters retooled and reintroduced similar to what they plan to do for Deadpool.

A few characters that deserve redemption include Juggernaut, Psylocke and Gambit. Two unused characters that have been rumored for a while include Cable and the villain Mister Sinister. Throw in another decent sized cameo for Wolverine and we're in business. I feel like this is still very much the story of Erik and Charles now that they've chosen their sides. We need to see them fully explore that new relationship. Jean and Scott no matter how popular they are, really should be saved for the third film.


MY CASTING THOUGHTS

AARON JOHNSON AS REMY LEBAEU (GAMBIT)

STEPHEN LANG AS NATHAN SUMMERS (CABLE)

RICHARD MADDEN AS CAIN MARKO (JUGGERNAUT)

MICHELLE RYAN AS BETSY BRADDOCK (PSYLOCKE)

CLIVE OWEN AS MISTER SINISTER

Clive Owen And Mia Wasikowska In Talks For Oldboy

Director Spike Lee doesn't seem to be getting the cast he originally wanted for his American remake of Oldboy which is based on the manga and Korean film. Lee had Colin Firth in mind for the villain and Rooney Mara for the female lead, both passing. Twitch reports that Clive Owen (Children of Men) is in talks for the villain and Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland, Jane Eyre) could also join.

RUMOR: Clive Owen The Next 007 In Bond 24?

While Daniel Craig will be playing James Bond in the 23rd installment there is talk it could be his last film. TheExaminer reports that MGM was going to try to have Clive Owen replace Craig but with the actors two picture contract it would have been a costly buy out. The only problem is that Owen is rumored to be asking for a three picture deal which the studio might not want to commit to.

You might remember Clive Owen was originally on the shortlist to play 007 in Casino Royale before Daniel Craig was eventually cast. It's expected that he would end up in the role in Bond 24. There has been rumored and confirmed interest from directors like Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino and Danny Boyle to make a Bond movie. You never know these directors could end up taking on Bond 24.





Do You Think Clive Owen Should Replace Daniel Craig? Who Should Be The Next 007?? Leave Your Comments!

Frank Miller's Hard Boiled

Not to be confused with John Woo's Hard Boiled, based on the ultra-violent comic book created by Miller and Geof Darrow. Unlike Sin City the artwork wasn't done by Frank and it is brightly colourful. Darrow's style has a very "Heavy Metal" feel to it with a bit of "Blade Runner". Yet the film noir feel is still apparent in the story and dialog. It looks like Frank Miller is in talks to direct. Miller talked to MTV during the New York Comic Con about the project. At one time it was developed as a starring vehicle for Nicolas Cage with none other than David Fincher directing.

Originally published in 1990 by Dark Horse Comics and drawn by Geoff Darrow, “Hard Boiled”. Winner of the coveted Eisner Award! Carl Seltz is a suburban insurance investigator, a loving husband, and devoted father. Nixon is a berserk, homicidal tax collector racking up mind-boggling body counts in a diseased urban slaughterhouse. Unit Four is the ultimate robot killing machine -- and the last hope of the future's enslaved mechanical servants. And they're all the same psychotic entity.

I could see Bruce Willis as Nixon.



Although Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator Salvation) and Clive Owen (Children of Men, Sin City) could easily fit into the role as well.

Frank Miller's The Spirit success will be very important if he wants to be able to helm. If it doesn't do well I could see a few directors that could do it justice. Luc Besson, Robert Rodriguez or Zack Snyder would be able to bring this futuristic vision of L.A. to life.

Here are a few more panels from the graphic novel. They are great examples of the scale that should be in mind.

Wicked City (2010)

Back in 2006 Variety reported that there would be a live-action film directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé (Spawn: The Movie). Since then there has been little to no information, maybe for the best. It may have been killed or sold off to another studio. The original was one of the influential anime films that inspired The Matrix films. Considering the cult status of the original anime film I would expect a bigger studio and director to get involved.



I would have loved to see David Cronenberg replaced as the director. His previous films "Naked Lunch" and "eXistenZ" are perfect examples of the type of movies which are similar to the anime. The sexual themes are very important to the story and mood of the picture and Cronenberg isn't afraid of using sex in his movies. He would also attract a well known cast.


"My Casting Picks"



-Clive Owen cast as Taki and Marion Cotillard as Makie.