News about Marvel's upcoming "Punisher: War Zone" film has been hitting the web at breakneck speed lately, from action-packed video clips to super-sweet looking posters to -- most importantly -- the film's R-rating. However, despite early rumors of on-set squabbles with Fox executives, little has been heard from the film's director, Lexi Alexander.
Luckily for all you Punisher-heads out there, Italian site Comicus has your hook-up with an extensive -- and we do mean extensive -- interview with the director, and what she had to say should be music to fans ears.
Right off the bat, it's clear that Alexander did her homework, both reading back-issues of "Punisher" comic books as well as researching what fans had to say on message boards about the 2004 "Punisher" film. "I read the 'Punisher' comic books before I made the decision to do this, because that is the only way you can learn about an existing comic book character's essence," Alexander said in the Comicus interview. "Frank Castle knows only two sides: Good and Evil. There is no grey zone for him. If you are evil now, or have been in the past, or planning to be in the future, you are going to die. Period.
"The great thing about a reboot is, you can learn from the past if you care enough. I obviously watched the previous version, but I didn't critique it and just crossed my fingers that I can do it better. I spent weeks on the computer, reading reviews and fan reactions about it. It was pretty damn clear what the fans liked and didn't like about it. I basically had a road map for this reboot written by proper Punisher fans and the headline was. 'Don’t go to Tampa!' [Tampa being the setting for the previous film]”
Meanwhile, Alexander had nothing but praise for the film's star, Ray Stevenson. "He is a real actor and you will experience this character with all his pain, the brutality of what happened in his past and certainly a soul that is struggling to see the light through his own darkness. Ray can portray all of that without ever saying a word and those are my favorite scenes to watch, even now after I've seen this film a few thousand times."
As already mentioned, no stone is left uncovered in the interview, so die-hard "Punisher" fans should definitely check it out in full at Comicus (be sure to scroll all the way down for the English translation).
Looking forward to 'Punisher: War Zone?" Think Alexander's got the chops for the film? Talk to us in the comments.
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