Four Comic Book Franchise Roles Manu Bennett Could Be Perfect For

Above is an image of Aussie actor Manu Bennett performing the Haka with fellow actor Jason Momoa. It's a cool picture for a couple of reasons, it establishes Manu's Maori background and he's posing with an actor with a career I see him paralleling very soon.

Jason recently became Warner Bros' Aquaman in a multi-picture deal which includes Batman v Superman, Justice League Part 1-2 and his own Aquaman film.

I have a feeling Manu is going to be in this position very soon and could end-up reading for some big franchise roles. Thanks in part to playing Azog The Defiler in the Hobbit Trilogy and becoming a standout on CW's Arrow as Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke.

It's likely impossible to see the actor reprise that role in Zack Snyder's DC Comics cinematic universe. Since we've heard from studio heads that the TV and film universes are indeed separate entities. Even though David Goyer had been developing a Deathstroke film for the studio, it's very unlikely that role will go to Manu.

This just means Bennett could be open for a whole bunch of franchise comic book roles. I'm sure there will be a point where Fox, Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. could all be courting the charismatic Aussie. We saw a similar thing go down for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa when they suddenly started landing on studio radars.

Which comic book franchise roles do I think Manu is best suited for?

CABLE:

Cable is a character known for his bulked-up stature which fits the bill for Manu. Not to mention his use of weapons that Bennett has lots of experience with. Having actors like Stephen Lang and Dwayne Johnson in the mix for fan campaigns it's more likely producers will look elsewhere. If fans can deal with Johnson playing Nathan Summers then they should be okay with Bennett playing him.

We've been hearing for years that X-Men producers are looking to explore ways to include Cable into the X-Men universe. While it's possible they could have him apart of X-Men Apocalypse, it's likely there might be too many things going on to bring back time-travel.

Jeff Wadlow's X-Force is seemingly the place for a solo Cable film which could see him founding or leading the covert team of mutants. Wadlow has said in the past Cable is a strong candidate for the film. However, other X-Men movies like Deadpool could leave the door open for cameos and supporting roles for him as well.

Fox could also just randomly announce a solo Cable film like they recently did with Channing Tatum's Gambit movie.

LOBO:

Trust me Warner Bros. will likely have eyes on Manu for something cinematic in the future. The one role I think could be a good fit is alien bounty hunter Lobo. An anti-hero biker character that peeked the interest in Jason Momoa before announcing he landed the Aquaman role.

Warner Bros has been developing a Lobo movie for ages. That was until DC Entertainment froze all the DC film projects, to pursue their own cinematic universe. Director Guy Ritchie would eventually leave Lobo to make The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and is now working on Knights of The Roundtable.

Actors such as Clancy Brown and Jeffrey Dean Morgan had been in talks with producer Joel Silver for the role. Jeffery Dean Morgan going so far as to do camera tests in costume but would later take the role of Thomas Wayne in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman. Giving the impression he wouldn't be going back to Lobo anytime soon.

Other actors such as Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa were thought to be linked because of their connections to possibly taking DC roles. It was later confirmed that Johnson would be playing Black Adam in Shazam and Momoa would be playing Aquaman in a bunch of movies including a solo film.

There had been speculation the character was going to be cast in either Batman v Superman or Justice League because of old Justice League script outlines including Lobo as a possible villain. It remains to be seen if the alien bounty-hunter ends up a villain before his solo outing.



San Andreas director Brad Peyton was recently tasked to develop a new version of the film but there hasn't been any updates since his announced involvement.

PUNISHER:

I've been kind of playing around in my head who could be best for this role in a reboot and luckily a lot of actors could play Frank Castle. My wish-list includes latino actors Edgar Ramirez (Zero Dark Thirty, Domino, Bourne Ultimatum) and Pablo Pascal (Game of Thrones). This could also be another gun-play character Bennett would be perfect for.

Marvel got the Punisher rights back that had been held by Lionsgate. The company has been sitting on the franchise but it's possible they could pursue a television series focusing on Frank Castle. Fox had commissioned a pilot for series but that didn't come together and it just vanished.

Marvel has been mainly focusing on family friendly entertainment when it comes to their film slate. This doesn't mean Marvel won't do something with the character sometime in the future. They could always make a Netflix series or film, the latter hasn't been talked about but could happen in the future. The studio producing low-budget R rated films could help balance the risk.

Rumblings had been circling that Marvel could put together a Punisher series at some point. Some believe it could be a strong candidate for the second wave shows for Netflix, but it sounds like the four shows already setup could get multiple seasons. A couple of people have suggested taking it to AMC or FXX because of it's violent content, but Netflix seems to do fine with material like that airing shows like House of Cards and Marco Polo.

Punisher has a lot of options if Marvel does decide on bringing him back to the big or small screen.

There has been interest from Marvel screenwriter Drew Pearce (Runaways, Iron Man 3) to get involved with a Punisher short which could lead to a series, perhaps on Netflix. Drew wrote and directed All Hail The King, a short which focused on Seagate Prison (connected to both Ant-Man and Luke Cage) revealing the existence of the real Mandarin.



Another interested party includes Knights of Badassdom and Everly director Joe Lynch stating on Twitter he'd love a crack at Castle. Lynch made his own Marvel short film entitled Truth In Journalism which focused on a dark version of Spider-Man villain Venom which was set in the "bootleg" Marvel universe.



I'd also like to see John Wick director Chad Stahelski considered as well. Keanu Reeves ended-up in the mix for Doctor Strange because of the deserved buzz the film received during early festival runs. Marvel's Kevin Feige showed-up to a public screening of the film which seemed to impress bloggers who attended it.

NAMOR:

Wouldn't it be wild if Marvel Studios or in partnership with Universal/Legendary Pictures did end-up making that Sub-Mariner film?

Manu's previous work experience with sword swinging characters in Spartacus and Hobbit would come into play becoming the Marvel opposite to Momoa's Aquaman. This could be a very fun character for Bennett since Namor has played both hero and antagonist in the comics.

Universal's Namor film hasn't been talked about in a very long time and the assumption is it's stuck in development limbo. Shocking, since the huge wave of popularity with Marvel films you'd think the studio would dust it off and try to put it back into production.

We know that Universal had plans on having Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3, Surrogates) direct it but the studio dropped the project entirely at some point. Jason Statham, the former professional diver turned action star had some interest in the project but was never formally offered the role.

I'm still a bit fuzzy on the actual rights agreement with Universal but if it's similar to Hulk. Marvel could be able to use him in a supporting role, similar to Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner in Avengers installments. If a new solo Hulk film was made by Marvel it's understood Universal would be involved in some way. Their deal for Namor could be the same if it even still exits.

Latino Review heard a rumor back in May of last year that a mystery Legendary Pictures film set for release in November 2016 could be a Marvel property. It's likely that the film they were talking about was actually either The Great Wall or Kong: Skull Island as both were set for that month. Skull Island recently moving it's release from early November to March 2017 to avoid Marvel's Doctor Strange.

Although, Latino Review felt confident in the story at the time.

If Marvel could be able to still use Namor he could become apart of the Inhumans storyline or even involved with Captain America: Civil War. As Namor is the original mutant character, he could be altered to become an inhuman instead to avoid conflict with the X-Men rights. Marvel is already seemingly giving mutants Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch new origins to include them into the MCU.

We know that even though Incredible Hulk was apart of the Universal/Marvel deal, Edward Norton was able to reprise the role in Avengers. Norton just happened to be apart of a bunch behind the scenes issues along with not promoting the film leading to his recasting. It's very possible if someone is cast as Prince Namor, they could play the role in both Universal and Marvel feature films. Allowing the actor to crossover in a bunch of different films without getting entangled with the rights issues.

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?

Ray Stevenson Wants To Play Frank Castle Again As Marvel Studios Regains Punisher Rights

Some might believe Thomas Jane was an excellent Frank Castle but others have been on the side of Rome's Ray Stevenson. ThePlaylist was able to interview Ray during promotion for his new film Kill The Irishman. He reveals that we could see him in future Thor sequels as he's signed on for three films which is a regular part of a Marvel contract. They went on to see if there is a possibility that Stevenson could reprise his Punisher role in a new film.

"We have talked a bit. We have met about it. I would love to do it. We can definitely bring back Frank to the screen.” He warned that such negotiations may be premature, considering the shifting rights of the character. “I think they’ve just got the property back, it was with Lionsgate.” 

While there was glaring problems with War Zone that being the cartoony feel of Jigsaw and not grounding the film better. It gave us the best take on Frank Castle and some serious shoot-em-up action. I assume that now Marvel Studios owns the rights they could end up re-branding a new line R-rated films.

Kevin Feige Gives Insight To Upcoming Marvel Projects

In the Thor set visit interview from Collider which was held during before the production of Captain America. Kevin Feige gives the impression that The Howling Commandos will be the only Marvel hero group used in the film. Previously there had been rumors that we'd see a mix of Commandos and Invaders in the movie.

Director Joe Johnston has denied on many occasions that Namor (a member of the Invaders) would be included in the film. Saying the film would focus on only one Marvel hero. This could mean that others such as Union Jack and Spitfire would also not be featured. It makes sense that Namor and Union Jack could be better suited in their own films or contemporary Marvel sequels. So this would mean that J.J. Feild is playing Percy Pinkerton not Union Jack.

Also yesterday Feige was involved with a live chat on HeroComplex (LATimes) which was to promote the release of the new Thor trailer. Where the producer dished on tidbits of future projects and answered fans questions. Even Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier dropped by to say hi. I was luckily enough to join this chat yet it was beyond crowded and laggy.

Kevin gave confirmation that The Avengers' Iron Man armor will see an evolution similar to the different suits in Iron Man 2. Giving me the impression the Hulk Buster suit is an option.

 "Joss would kill me if I gave anything away, but I will say that the evolution you saw his armor take in IM2 will continue in The Avengers."

One of the biggest admissions of Kevin is confirmation that Marvel Studios has indeed got the rights back for The Punisher. A Frank Castle show is being rumored to be setup at HBO for a hardcore violent series. He doesn't comment on where we'll see Frank next. Kevin does mention how the Blade franchise had been a successful group of R-themed films.

"Punisher's back in house, and various plans are in the works."

He even spoke on the possibilities of bringing Moon Knight to life. Knight had been set to become a TV series but it ultimately didn't happen. The vigilante hero is one of the most complex in the Marvel roster living the life of cab driver, playboy, mercenary and mystical vigilante.

"Moonknight's a challenging, but extremely interesting character. We've been discussing various versions of it for years."
 

Kevin briefly confirmed projects in the works like Black Panther, Iron Fist and his love/hope for a Dr. Strange movie. He also talked Luke Cage and his love interest Jessica Jones, it's one of few times he's brought up the Luke Cage project. Liking everyone's support for Isaiah Mustafa (Old Spice Guy) to play Cage. He also gave an update on the progress of Edgar Wright's Ant-Man.

"Edgar was here a few days ago. He's already working on the next draft."

Marvel Studios Regains Control of Punisher

It looks like the previous rumor of Frank Castle being included in upcoming Marvel Studios films could be true. Kevin Feige during the Marvel Comic-Con pannel confirms the studio has regained control of Punisher and hopes to include him in their film universe soon. Lionsgate held the rights to anti-hero for the last two movies. Previously it had been rumored that Frank could make an appearance in Avengers or the S.H.I.E.L.D. film. After three failed solo films I think it would be interesting to see Castle included as a supporting character in other Marvel films.


Most recently Ray Stevenson had played the role but has taken up another character in Thor so it's expected Castle will be recast. My vote goes to Jon Hamm (Mad Men, The Town, Sucker Punch) to take on the role.

RUMOR: Punisher Joining Avengers & SHIELD?

It seems that Craig Fairbrass is now listed on IMDB as the new Frank Castle (Punisher). Of course everyone should take rumors with a grain of salt when it comes from IMDB. It's even odder they have Punisher listed for both Captain America and Avengers. The character really hasn't been involved with either properties and isn't known for being featured in them. Yet it does seem like a good way to revive an exhausted character who hasn't exactly worked well in solo films.


Traditionally Frank Castle has been a lone wolf criminal vigilante and is know for his extensive body counts. That aside Castle is a Marine and it wouldn't be hard to include him in a SHIELD film. While it's unlikely that he would make the Avengers lineup I could see Marvel re-introducing him in it. It could be a smart move to bring in the well known character to support their future films. I did some digging and Castle has been involved with SHIELD (alternative earth), Captain America (replacing Steve Rogers) and Secret Avengers so it's possible they could include him. The only way I could see him used in Captain America would be if his father was in the Howling Commandos so they could have the Castle name involved.


Recently Castle was played by Ray Stevenson who knocked it out of the park in War Zone even if the film didn't impress, his Punisher certainly did. It's questionable if we will ever see Stevenson's Punisher in Marvel Studios films since he is playing Volstagg in Thor. It wouldn't be surprising to see a fourth actor take on the role.


Now come the biggest problems with the rumor. Craig Fairbrass isn't known for commanding strong performances. His films (The Bank Job, Rise of The Footsoldier) don't give me the impression he's a good fit considering the level of talent that's previously been cast. Yet I have to admit he does look the part. The other issue is how much of the rights does Lionsgate own for Punisher? I've been under the impression Marvel Studios retains the rights for the character but they shared them with Lionsgate for the solo films. Similar to what we've seen with Universal and The Hulk. Although they could outright own them similar to their deal with New Line and the Blade franchise. This could be a complete fabrication but it would be interesting to see Marvel try to expand the film universe by including the fan favorite character.

*Would you like to see the Punisher in Avengers or SHIELD?

Could Marvel & Miramax Team Up?

The one thing that worries people about the Disney and Marvel deal is, what happens to the violent/adult characters? Miramax is the answer to that question. The studio that helped produce: The Crow, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Gangs of New York, Equilibrium and Scream, just to name a few. I could see Disney buying the rights back for characters such as Punisher and Blade. I doubt the rights would be as expensive as say for Spider-Man or X-Men. I can't see Marvel Studios being able to also handle the adult content. Miramax could be studio able to tackle the films.



PUNISHER: War Zone for all it's problems with story, dialog and acting, ended up to deliver the action the Thomas Jane film couldn't. With a solid script and accomplished action director the series could end up becoming something great. I know they aren't a popular choice but Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer) could give the series the energy it needs. The pair would understand the Punisher Max series and how to make an entertaining action movie. Ray Stevenson is the best Frank Castle and should return for at least one more film.



BLADE: The character that started the whole comicbook film craze, needs to be respected. So let's hope for the return of Wesley Snipes and a decent director. As much as I enjoy his writing, David S. Goyer's directing is awful. I'd love him to write a new script because that's what he does best. Ryan Renyolds' Hannibal King could return but with Reynolds playing leads in both Green Lantern and Deadpool, it's unlikely. It would be nice to have Stephen Norrington return. If not, having someone from Guillermo del Toro's group of directors would be ok with me.

Casting Thoughts



David Wenham (300) as Jack Russell aka Werewolf By Night



Michelle Ryan (Jekyll, Bionic Woman) as Lilth




MOON KNIGHT:Soldier of fortune Marc Spector becomes the vigilante Moon Knight after an encounter with the Egyptian god of vengeance and moon deity. The character is known for his 3 identities: Marc Spector mercenary, New York millionaire Steven Grant and Manhattan cab driver Jake Lockley.



James McAvoy (Wanted) as Marc Spector aka Moon Knight