Tom Hardy says he’s interested in playing the Punisher.
In an interview at Collider, Hardy dodged a question about playing another DC character and flat out said he wanted Frank Castle.
“I want the Punisher… I want the Punisher, or Splinter Cell, I want something… I don’t know what I want.” To clarify, Hardy is already attached to the Splinter Cell movie. When pushed on the topic of playing the mature Marvel character, Hardy backed down a bit. “I’m not big enough to be the Punisher. I’m 5’9”." Further prodding revealed passion and confusion over the Punisher’s real name. “Frank Castle, I would love it. Is that him, isn’t it?”
It sure is, Mr Hardy. The Punisher was last portrayed by Ray Stevenson in Lexi Alexander’s Punisher: War Zone, unless you count Thomas Jane’s short film, Dirty Laundry. Marvel has yet to announce official plans for a Punisher movie or TV series, but Daredevil’s Charlie Cox would love to see him in the second season of his show, and at least one producer wants to ensure Marvel makes any Punisher material a “hard R”.