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Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome) began his association with Marvel characters by taking over the role of the Punisher for 2008's Punisher: War Zone, which was released by Lionsgate and not Marvel Studios and earned a mere $10 million in worldwide box office. Stevenson entered into the Marvel fold as portly Asgardian warrior Volstagg in director Kenneth Branagh's upcoming adaptation of Thor. Stevenson told The Playlist that he will likely show up in future Thor sequels.
I’ve got a three picture deal. My agent said, people won’t recognize you. And I said, I don’t give a damn! Who else is gonna give me a chance to put a big fatsuit on and ham it up? And I said to Ken Branagh, I was nervous, and he said, you can’t be too loud! So I said fine, I’ll dip my toe into the river of ham. And he said, trust me, I’ve swam in that river many times. You enjoy that!
what about the punisher? >> Posted 03.09.11 by Ryan -
With The Avengers formally announced and Joss Whedon officially on board as director, Marvel Studios can now concentrate on the future. During the San Diego Comic-Con panel for the upcoming Thor adaptation, Marvel president of production Kevin Feige spoke to IGN about what projects Marvel is looking into.
find out what projects Marvel is queuing up Posted 07.27.10 by Ryan -
2008 was a big year for comic book movies. The biggest so far, in fact. With the help of Jim Littler, editor of ComicBookMovie.com, we've got the definitive Top 10 9 Comic Book Movies of 2008.
Posted 01.01.09 by reelz -
In many ways, the Punisher is the red-headed stepchild of Marvel Comics. While his counterparts Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and even Ghost Rider have all enjoyed some degree of success on the big screen, Marvel's cop-turned-vigilante's two attempts at movie adaptations, released in 2004 and 1989, fared poorly. The 1989 version, starring Rocky IV's Dolph Lundgren, didn't even earn a theatrical release.
Can this week's sequel/reboot Punisher: War Zone, featuring Rome's Ray Stevenson in the title role, succeed where its predecessors failed? Check out our Punisher: War Zone review to find out.
Posted 12.05.08 by reelz -
Earlier this week news emerged that Bruno Heller, creator of HBO's Rome, was looking to adapt his highly acclaimed (and tragically short-lived) period drama for the big screen. Yesterday former Rome star Ray Stevenson talked to us about the prospect of reprising his role as the boisterous, hedonistic, and occasionally heroic Titus Pullo in the proposed movie, which Heller has hinted could revolve around the rise of a certain charismatic religious leader:
"Well, when you look at it, people say, 'Oh, you're going to get into the time of Christ,' but nobody knew it was Christ, you know what I mean?" said Stevenson. "The Bible wasn't even written until a hundred years after his passing. And at that time, it wasn't like the year zero, and then we get to the year 34 or whenever. You're still at the height of the Roman Empire. In their society, their system, you've got this emerging religion -- fast-growing, rebellious, upsetting the status quo of your politics and everything, and challenging the basis of your religions and gods or whatever, and there's a power struggle. There's ways of dealing with issues without smashing an egg with a sledgehammer, but these things are recurrent themes throughout the history of mankind."
This week, Stevenson stars as cop-turned-vigilante Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone. For more of his musings on Titus Pullo as well a preview of his next project, The Book of Eli, check out our exclusive interview.
Posted 12.04.08 by reelz -
This week Marvel Comics' vigilante anti-hero the Punisher takes his latest stab at success on the big screen with Punisher: War Zone. Though billed as a sequel to 2004's The Punisher, it's really more of a reboot, with Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome) replacing Thomas Jane in the titular role.
Directed by Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans), Punisher: War Zone is significantly more violent than its two Punisher predecessors, boasting a level of carnage rivaling Sylvester Stallone's recent Rambo reboot. How violent is it? Check out our Punisher: War Zone Body Count to find out.
Posted 12.04.08 by reelz -
After being unceremoniously dumped by co-directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, D.C. Comics' Confederate anti-hero Jonah Hex is on the prowl for a new helmer to guide his path to the big screen. One name that's emerged as a possibility is Punisher: War Zone director Lexi Alexander, who revealed today that she's on the Jonah Hex short list:
"One of (the scripts) that's been sent to me -- and I'm sure it's been sent to many, many other directors -- is one I've never heard about called Jonah Hex," the German-born filmmaker recounted at today's Punisher press day. "I opened up the first two pages and I was like, 'Great, I'll be doing the same thing for the next 15 years.' But then you get into it...and on page 15 I started visualizing things."
Alexander added later that while she liked the script, it would need some re-tooling before it was production-ready. No Country for Old Men star Josh Brolin is still attached to star.
Posted 12.02.08 by reelz -
Times are good for cancelled TV shows. On the heels of the recent greenlighting of an Arrested Development movie, another short-lived, critically-acclaimed series is making its case for a shot at the big screen. Bruno Heller, creator of HBO's Rome, revealed in the trades today that he's working on a feature film adaptation of his popular period drama. Heller gave few details on the project, indicating only that "there is talk of doing a movie" and that he has a story outline mapped out.
A winner of 11 Emmys during a successful two-year run, Rome was nonetheless cancelled after HBO deemed the show too expensive. Its chances of making the leap to the big screen would likely hinge on the return of its two stars, Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson, the latter of whom stars this week in Lionsgate's comic book reboot Punisher: War Zone.
Posted 12.01.08 by reelz -
As if you haven't already heard enough about today's election, now the heroes from the Marvel Universe are weighing in.
Our friends over at MTV spoke with writers on comics including X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man and Punisher. The results? Well, apparently those with superhuman abilities and genetic mutations are a pretty leftist bunch. Frank Castle (aka "The Punisher"), on the other hand, picks libertarian outsider Bob Barr, although Castle's voter eligibility remains questionable.
For the rest of the Marvel choices, head over to MTV's Splash Page.
Posted 11.04.08 by reelz -
Rambo ain't got nothin' on Frank Castle. Tonight at Comic-Con, the folks at Lionsgate unveiled a new trailer for The Punisher: War Zone, their upcoming reboot of the Marvel Comics franchise with Ray Stevenson (Titus Pullo of HBO's Rome) replacing Thomas Jane in the titular role of the ruthless vigilante anti-hero. And while the flick's slick, quick-cut ("candy-coated," as one witness aptly put it) preview elicited only a mildly positive response, a follow-up montage of the film's most violent moments, set to the music of Ramallah's "Days of Revenge," garnered raucous applause from the fanboy-heavy audience.
The copious images of machine-gun fire, exploding heads and eviscerated bodies reminded me of Sylvester Stallone's reboot of Rambo, which to this day remains the most violent mainstream movie I've ever seen. On the other hand, the trailer reminded me of Joel Schumacher, who you may remember directed a little movie called Batman & Robin. Take that as you will.
P.S. -- Stevenson is definitely an upgrade over Jane. More to come tomorrow...
Posted 07.24.08 by reelz