Punisher: War Zone

Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante anti-hero Frank Castle (Ray Stevenson) sets his sights on overeager mob boss Billy Russoti (Dominic West). After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias: Jigsaw. With the "Punisher Task Force" hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished.^[2]

Cast

Actor	Character
Ray Stevenson	Frank Castle / The Punisher
Dominic West	Billy Russoti / Jigsaw^[3]
Wayne Knight	Linus Lieberman / Microchip^[3]
Dash Mihok	Detective Martin Soap
Colin Salmon	Agent Paul Budiansky^[4]
Doug Hutchison	Looney Bin Jim^[5]^[6]
T. J. Storm	Maginty^[7]
Romano Orzari	Nicky Cavella
Julie Benz	Angela Donatelli^[8]
Keram Malicki-Sánchez	Ink^[9]
Mark Camacho	Pittsy^[10]
David Vadim	Cristu Bulat^[11]

Development

2004

In February 2004, two months prior to The Punisher's theatrical debut, Lions Gate Entertainment announced the studio's intent to produce a sequel. Avi Arad, chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios, expressed his interest in developing the franchise, saying that the second film would "become the fifth Marvel property to become a sequel."^[12] In March 2004, the director of the first film, Jonathan Hensleigh, said that he was interested in working with Thomas Jane again for The Punisher 2.^[13] In April 2004, Jane said that the villain for The Punisher 2 would be Jigsaw.^[14] In November 2004, Jane said that the studio was interested in making a sequel based on successful DVD sales of The Punisher and was developing the preliminary budget for the follow-up.^[15]

2005

In March 2005, Marvel Studios announced a 2006 theatrical release date for The Punisher 2.^[16] In April 2005, Lions Gate Entertainment's CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed at LGF's 2005 fiscal 3Q analyst call that the studio had completed its deal to develop The Punisher 2.^[17] Arad indicated the sequel would be among the "handful of Marvel films" to carry the R rating.^[18] Prior to July 2005, Avi Arad revealed that the script was being rewritten and that the sequel would start filming within the year.^[19] By July 2005, Jane had put on an additional 12 pounds of muscle, and was hoping for filming to start in late-2006.^[20]

2006

In March 2006, The Punisher 2 was announced to be produced in Louisiana,^[21] being listed in the domestic charter under Louisiana's Secretary of State.^[22] In August 2006, Marvel Entertainment revealed a new film slate that included The Punisher 2 on its partial list with production still to be determined.^[23] Thomas Jane said that the writer was halfway through a draft and that he believed filming would begin by February 2007. Jane confirmed that the villain Jigsaw, first announced in April 2004, would be in the film. Jane also said that director Jonathan Hensleigh would not be returning to direct the sequel.^[24] In addition, Lions Gate Entertainment, amidst the studios returning to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, announced that The Punisher 2 would begin filming within the year.^[25] In October 2006, Thomas Jane said the script was due in a couple of weeks, and that it would be "darker, bloodier and more unfriendly than the first one."^[26] In December 2006, the screenplay was being rewritten by screenwriter Stuart Beattie.^[27]

2007

It was announced that Kurt Sutter, a writer for The Shield, was involved with the script for The Punisher 2, but what exactly he was doing was unrevealed.^[28] In an interview with Sutter, he said that he had an enjoyable time writing the script for the sequel and that it was going to be very true to the character.^[29] In a separate interview Thomas Jane revealed that a new script had been turned in and everyone was hoping it would work out, as the lack of a good script had been holding up production. He further stated that if everything goes as planned then filming should begin in June or July,^[30] but shortly afterward, in a letter to Ain't It Cool News Jane wrote that he had pulled out of the movie, stating:

In May 2007, director John Dahl was in talks to direct the movie, but decided to not helm the film, citing a bad script and lack of budget as reasons for passing.^[31] In June it was announced that Lexi Alexander would then take over the role as director as a result.^[32] On July 21, it was announced that actor Ray Stevenson would play the Punisher in the sequel to the 2004 film.^[33] Filming was slated to begin in October 2007 in Montreal.^[34] In August, a working title for the film, The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank was announced. On August 28, Lionsgate announced that the new working name for The Punisher 2 would be Punisher: War Zone.^[35] Paddy Considine was considered for the role of Jigsaw in the film but the offer was retracted.^[36] In mid-September, the director announced cast members joining Stevenson with Dash Mihok as Detective Martin Soap, Colin Salmon as Agent Paul Budiansky and Doug Hutchison as Loony Bin Jim.^[6] It was announced on September 25 via The Hollywood Reporter, that Dominic West will star as the main antagonist Jigsaw and Wayne Knight will play the Punisher's armorer Microchip. Filming occurred from October 22 until December 14 in Montreal.^[37] Principal photography for Punisher: War Zone was completed on December 27.^[38]

2008

On February 14, 2008 writer Kurt Sutter officially removed his name from credit arbitration, stating: The film was set for September 12, 2008 release, but was pushed back 3 months to December 5, 2008.^[39] A teaser trailer was released on June 12, 2008. On July 25, 2008 Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News wrote an article claiming that Lexi Alexander had been removed as the film's director. ^[40]. A second trailer was revealed to the public at the San Diego ComicCon on the same day. Lexi Alexander did not make an appearance at the convention, which caused speculation from the fans who attended the film's panel to question whether or not her name has been taken off the film. On August 15, website Latino Review reported that Lions Gate would be editing the film to receive a PG-13 rating. The director of photography, Steve Gainer, later claimed that the movie will be "R" and that Lexi is still on-board the project.^[41] On October 3, IGN confirmed that Lexi Alexander was not fired from the movie, based on an official statement they received from Lionsgate.^[42]

Soundtrack

A soundtrack for Punisher: War Zone is slated for release on November 25, 2008. The soundtrack will include the original track "War Zone", written for and inspired by the film by musician Rob Zombie.^[43] An original score to the film was composed by Michael Wandmacher. An online contest was held by Lionsgate, and led to 7 Days Away (a band local to Connersville, IN) taking first place with the track "Take Me Away".