Travolta lead heel in Punisher movie

[Guest starvenger]

I got this from Corona Coming Attractions

 

Travolta to become PUNISHER nemesis

Actor hired to play baddie

 

Dateline: Wednesday, May 14, 2003

 

By: PATRICK SAURIOL

By: News Editor

Source: Variety

 

John Travolta has been hired to play the bad guy in Artisan's movie adaptation of THE PUNISHER. In the film the GREASE superstar will play an underworld player named Howard Saint who once went on the straight and narrow path, only to sink back into the criminal organization when he suffers a devastating personal loss. Sounds like Saint could be the mirror image of The Punisher himself.

 

Thomas Jane will play The Punisher, a.k.a. Frank Castle. In the movie version Castle was an undercover FBI agent who, on the verge of retiring, loses his entire family due to mob retaliation. Filming starts this summer for a summer '04 release.

 

Well, like Kevin Nash, Travolta is probably better off playing a heel. When he has that smug look (like in Swordfish) you just want to smack him. The bad thing is that, again like Nash, he seems to want to play a "cool" heel (again, like in Swordfish).

 

Well, at least it isn't Nic Cage...

[Guest Blue Bacchus]

This new Punisher has all sorts of Potential!

 

Heel Travolta is the Best!

[Guest mach7]

If Travolta plays it over the top, kind of like how Nicholson played the Joker, this could rule.

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

As you can see from Face/Off and Broken Arrow, Travolta revels in a villainous role that allows him to chew the scenery with gusto. Depending on what the character really is, Travolta could give a solid and entertaining performance.

[Guest HellSpawn]

So... now the heel in Punisher will dance?

 

And... since when Punisher is a GOOD Guy? You know, he is a killer.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I don't have a problem with this. Hell, this looks like it should be heel vs heel...I'm all for that

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

No Jigsaw? What a bunch of crap.

[Guest DrTom]

And... since when Punisher is a GOOD Guy? You know, he is a killer.

He's not. He's an anti-hero who helps the cause of good and justice by killing criminals, while sparing the innocent. He's also a very compelling and interesting character when written well (Ennis), and there are definitely some tragic elements to his modern-day persoona.

[Guest DrTom]

No Jigsaw? What a bunch of crap.

Ever hear of a sequel?

[Guest Youth N Asia]

No Jigsaw? What a bunch of crap.

Ever hear of a sequel?

Should wait till the numbers are in on the first one till we talk sequels. The last one was so bad they waited 14 years to try again.

[The Dames 0]

Have any of you seen a picture of Thomas Jane in the punisher outfit?

 

 

It doesn't even resemble Frank Castle to me.

 

Dames

[Guest Mole]

Travolta could rock in this role, if he actually decideds to memorize his lines.

[Guest DrTom]

Jane's hair should be black for the Castle/Punisher role. I also think the skull should be a little less prominent, the shirt should look more like body armor, and the trench coat should be closed more. I'm probably just quibbling at this point, but I think that's a more iconic image of the Punisher.

[The Dames 0]

Also, I don't think the guy is nearly as muscular as Frank Castle should be...and the hair is the first thing that strikes me as being odd. I'm going to shut up before I turn all fanboyish.

 

Dames

[Guest Bannable Offense]

I think he does look unlike a Frank Castle, but if Jane can pull out the Punisher character properly, I think it can be overlooked.

[Guest Cover of Darkness]

No Jigsaw? What a bunch of crap.

I know, 80's Punisher had an awesome Rogue's Gallery. (Which was all abandoned in favor of the lame assed Ennis gallery.)

 

Remember Hitman? That guy owned!

 

Hell, they even turned his Sarge in 'Nam into a cool heel.

[Guest creativename]

I guffawed when I read this over at AICN. I care absolutely nothing for the Punisher, because most of the bad-ass types did squat for me, Punisher and Cable being tops at that list. However, I feel terrible for Punisher fans. Travolta equals box office disaster. It's been proved over the course of like 3 fucking decades now. Outside of a handful of hits (Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction, Face/Off, maybe some I'm forgetting), the man is poison.

 

Let's face it: John Travolta and Kevin Costner are probably the two biggest losers in modern Hollywood history. Both have a scant few hits that their reputations are built on, and both take crappy-ass projects with remarkable consistency. The money these two have lost for studios over the years (net of any profits they've made) must be amazing. Of course, Costner at least has a little bit of acting talent. Travolta is just a useless hack.

 

Really, this gives Punisher fans little hope of seeing a good movie. Thomas Jane seems like a decent choice, because acting talent is always more important than "looks". As long as he dyes his hair he should be OK. However, not only are they going with Travolta, but they're doing an FBI-agent origin thing. The bitter/numb to violence Vietnam vet was a far better origin. I suppose it's too risky to get a 50-odd year old to play Punisher (though, IMO, that would own given the right casting), but Punisher would still be better off as a soldier than a Fed. Perhaps they'll say he was a former Gulf-war vet or something that became a Fed. Still, the Gulf war hardly had the sort of uber-violence and atrocities that 'Nam did. BTW, they're filming in Tampa, of all places--not exactly what I'd consider suitable for the "dark, brooding" atmosphere of Punisher.

 

Anyway, I think it'll be a shock if this movie ends up being any good. Arad seems to be making a lot of mistakes recently--perhaps success has gone to his head. He's just become a pimp now, whoring out Marvel to everybody. I mean, a Namor movie? Hell, they're talking high-budgeted Star Warsy Sub-Mariner trilogy right now! I liked Namor as a kid, he's a complex character, but it'd be tough for him to carry his own movie. The Ghost Rider movie has potential, but...an Elektra movie?! WTF??? This over-saturation of the product is gonna bite them on the ass sooner or later.

[Guest Walter Sobzak]

Y'know, I like the guy's look just fine. He doesn't need to be the biggest guy in the world. The Punisher pretty much smokes and shoots people. That's it. I also like how it's just a guy in a shirt. It looks like they're goin for sort of a Tim Bradstreet look in the pic, and I think they can pull it off. I like the symbol too, it looks like something he made himself. I think this has a slightly better chance of being good than it does of sucking.

 

 

 

 

 

His hair had better be black once they start filming.

[Guest Heel In Peril]

I guffawed when I read this over at AICN. I care absolutely nothing for the Punisher, because most of the bad-ass types did squat for me, Punisher and Cable being tops at that list. However, I feel terrible for Punisher fans. Travolta equals box office disaster. It's been proved over the course of like 3 fucking decades now. Outside of a handful of hits (Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction, Face/Off, maybe some I'm forgetting), the man is poison.

 

Let's face it: John Travolta and Kevin Costner are probably the two biggest losers in modern Hollywood history. Both have a scant few hits that their reputations are built on, and both take crappy-ass projects with remarkable consistency. The money these two have lost for studios over the years (net of any profits they've made) must be amazing. Of course, Costner at least has a little bit of acting talent. Travolta is just a useless hack.

 

Really, this gives Punisher fans little hope of seeing a good movie. Thomas Jane seems like a decent choice, because acting talent is always more important than "looks". As long as he dyes his hair he should be OK. However, not only are they going with Travolta, but they're doing an FBI-agent origin thing. The bitter/numb to violence Vietnam vet was a far better origin. I suppose it's too risky to get a 50-odd year old to play Punisher (though, IMO, that would own given the right casting), but Punisher would still be better off as a soldier than a Fed. Perhaps they'll say he was a former Gulf-war vet or something that became a Fed. Still, the Gulf war hardly had the sort of uber-violence and atrocities that 'Nam did. BTW, they're filming in Tampa, of all places--not exactly what I'd consider suitable for the "dark, brooding" atmosphere of Punisher.

 

Anyway, I think it'll be a shock if this movie ends up being any good. Arad seems to be making a lot of mistakes recently--perhaps success has gone to his head. He's just become a pimp now, whoring out Marvel to everybody. I mean, a Namor movie? Hell, they're talking high-budgeted Star Warsy Sub-Mariner trilogy right now! I liked Namor as a kid, he's a complex character, but it'd be tough for him to carry his own movie. The Ghost Rider movie has potential, but...an Elektra movie?! WTF??? This over-saturation of the product is gonna bite them on the ass sooner or later.

... Pessimistic much? Travolta and Costner are the biggest losers? I think you can find worse actors out there to shit on.

 

I do agree with your thought on the Namor and Elektra movies and the "over-saturation of the product" (being Marvel, I assume). However, I only agree because I fear it will hurt the business. I personally don't care how many different comics become movies. The more they can pull off, the better, as far as I'm concerned. The negative side of me does feel though that odds are someone's gonna mess up some character we love soon. Just look at Batman.

[Guest areacode212]

Y'know, I like the guy's look just fine. He doesn't need to be the biggest guy in the world. The Punisher pretty much smokes and shoots people. That's it. I also like how it's just a guy in a shirt. It looks like they're goin for sort of a Tim Bradstreet look in the pic, and I think they can pull it off.

I agree with this. He doesn't have to be the hulking Klaus Janson/John Romita, Jr. Punisher. How many actors are that big anyway?

[The Dames 0]

... Pessimistic much? Travolta and Costner are the biggest losers? I think you can find worse actors out there to shit on.

I'm sure that he meant big name guys who haven't been able to make a buck in years.

 

I disagree with Travolta. Although he's made his fair share of bombs over the years (Lucky Numbers, Battlefield Earth) and hasn't exactly chosen the best roles, he's not NEARLY as bad as Kevin Costner. The last successful movie he had was when? Over 10 years ago?

 

Dames

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

Bring back DRAGO!!!

[Guest WrestlingDeacon]

If you're going with over 50 Vietnam vet Punisher, I'd say Fred Dryer in a heart beat. Hunter is the greatest television show ever for the simple fact that every episode ends with Dryer shooting the bad guy directly in the face.

 

Travolta's hits and the money he's made far outweigh his bombs and he's only had a couple super bombs (Staying Alive and Battlefield Earth). Of Travolta films that have been successful and profitable, whether you like them or not: Carrie, Saturday Night Fever, Urban Cowboy, Look Who's Talking, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Broken Arrow, Phenomenon, Michael, Face/Off, A Civil Action, the General's Daughter, Swordfish.

 

Significant Travolta bombs: Staying Alive, Two of a King, Perfect, The Experts, Look Who's Talking Too, Look Who's Talking Now, White Man's Burden, Lucky Numbers, Battfield Earth, Mad City. (Basic and Primary Colors where middle of the road)

 

Costner's list of successful and profitable films is a lot shorter than Travolta's: The Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK, Tin Cup, The Bodyguard

 

and his bombs have been even bigger: No Way Out, Revenge, Waterworld, The Postman, Wyatt Earp, Message in a Bottle, For the Love of the Game, Dragonfly, The War, A Perfect World, 3000 Miles to Graceland, 13 Days (which most critics liked, but didn't make a dime).