Jon Bernthal reveals key details about the Punisher special for Disney

Punisher star Jon Bernthal was recently in attendance at the SXSW Film Festival, and while promoting his new film The Accountant 2, he spilled some intriguing details about the upcoming anti-hero special show. Coming a long way from the initial debut on Netflix's Daredevil season two back in 2016, Punisher is now all set to have a special show of its own that is expected to air alongside the upcoming second season of Daredevil on Disney+ in 2026.

It was previously reported that Jon Bernthal was personally associated with writing the upcoming Disney+ show alongside director Reinaldo Marcus Green. The show is purported to be a standalone special, which means that this time, Frank Castle won't have to depend on Matt Murdock or anyone else to sustain his character arc.

Bernthal specifically hinted that the upcoming show will be "dark" in its tone and would in no way be anything resembling "Punisher-lite." Here's everything that we know.

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Jon Bernthal spills intriguing details about upcoming Disney+ Punisher special

On the occasion of the SXSW screening of Bernthal's new film The Accountant 2, in which he co-stars alongside Ben Affleck, Bernthal commented about the upcoming Disney+ special:

"I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve. We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.”

Bernthal has already made a name for himself playing the character of Frank Castle, as he appeared in the Netflix show from 2017 to 2019. He was then asked about how the upcoming Disney+ special might match up to the Netflix show, to which Bernthal replied:

"It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be. It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”

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Jon Bernthal opens up about playing Frank Castle

Over the years, Jon Bernthal's portrayal of Frank Castle has struck a chord with larger sections of the audience. In this regard, Bernthal spoke at length about being conscious of the character's popularity and the way in which it shaped him as an artist. He explained:

"The Punisher means so much to so many people, and it lives in so many different people’s heads, so they care about it so much,” he said. “That’s huge to me, and I understand it. I’m familiar with the comic book audience from my time on The Walking Dead: They’re very intelligent, loyal and passionate. This character also resonates deeply with law enforcement and military. People go into battle for our country with the Punisher logo on their equipment, their body armor, their vehicles, and they die for their country with that logo on them.”

Punisher is available on Netflix.