Development In February 2004, two months prior to
The Punishers 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." In March, the director of the first film,
Jonathan Hensleigh, said that he was interested in working with
Thomas Jane again for
The Punisher 2. In April, Jane said that the villain for
The Punisher 2 would be
Jigsaw. In November, 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. In March 2005, Marvel Studios announced a 2006 theatrical release date for
The Punisher 2. In April, Lions Gate Entertainment's CEO, Jon Feltheimer, confirmed at LGF's 2005 fiscal third quarter analyst call that the studio had completed its deal to develop
The Punisher 2. Prior to July, Arad revealed that the script was being rewritten and that the sequel would start filming within the year. By July, Jane had put on an additional 12 pounds of muscle, and was hoping for filming to start in late 2006. In March 2006,
The Punisher 2 was announced to be produced in Louisiana, being listed in the domestic charter under Louisiana's Secretary of State. In August, Marvel Entertainment revealed a new film slate that included
The Punisher 2 on its partial list with production still to be determined. 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. 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. In October, 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." In December, the screenplay was being rewritten by screenwriter
Stuart Beattie. It was announced that
Kurt Sutter, a writer for
The Shield, was involved with the script for
The Punisher 2. Sutter 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. 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, but shortly afterward, in a letter to
Ain't It Cool News, Jane wrote that he had pulled out of the movie, stating: On February 14, 2008, Sutter officially removed his name from credit arbitration, stating:
Directing In May 2007, director
John Dahl was in talks to direct, but declined, citing a bad script and lack of budget as reasons for passing. In June, it was announced that
Lexi Alexander would then take over the role as director as a result. Filming was slated to begin in October 2007 in Montreal. Prior to filming, Stevenson read every available issue of
The Punisher MAX, underwent endurance, martial arts, and weapons training with former
Force Recon Marines and film fight choreographer
Pat E. Johnson. 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. 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. 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.
Paddy Considine was considered for the role of Jigsaw in the film, but the offer was retracted and given to West who had previously turned it down. According to Lexi Alexander,
Freddie Prinze Jr. also auditioned for the role, but despite being impressed by his audition, was refused by
Lionsgate Studios from accepting the part.
Filming Filming occurred from October 22 until December 14 in
Montreal, Quebec, and in the nearby municipalities of
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue,
Brossard,
Terrebonne, and
Île Bizard. Principal photography for
Punisher: War Zone was completed on December 27. Filming locations included
Lionel-Groulx station, the
Five Roses Flour Plant, the
Old Port,
John Abbott College, the
Palais des congrès de Montréal,
Chinatown, and the
Champlain Bridge. Additional photography took place in
Vancouver, British Columbia. A
second unit filmed landmark shots in
New York City. In order to evoke the look of the
Punisher comics, Lexi Alexander and cinematographer
Steve Gainer utilized highly-saturated colored lighting, with only three primary colors on screen at any given time. A teaser trailer was released on June 12, 2008. On July 25, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News wrote an article claiming that Lexi Alexander had been removed as the film's director. A second trailer was revealed to the public at the San Diego ComicCon on the same day. Alexander did not make an appearance at the convention, which caused speculation from the fans who attended the film's panel to question whether her name had been taken off the film. On August 15, website Latino Review reported that Lionsgate would be editing the film to receive a PG-13 rating. The director of photography, Steve Gainer, later claimed that the film would be "R" and that Alexander was still on board the project. On October 3,
IGN confirmed that Alexander was not fired from the movie, based on an official statement they received from Lionsgate. In a December 2008 interview, == Music ==