Jon Bernthal (The Accountant, Fury) revisits his character the Punisher in the new Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again. Via The Hollywood Reporter , Disney is releasing a special revolving around the Punisher character, and Bernthal has teased the audience about the new project.
Bernthal first appears as the Punisher (aka Frank Castle) in Netflix’s Daredevil movie, released in 2016, and then again in the antagonist-centered series The Punisher which ran from 2017-2019, also streaming on Netflix. Now that Disney has brought back Daredevil he has resurfaced in the show, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Bernthal is actively collaborating with Reinaldo Marcus Green on the script for the upcoming standalone special, with Green also set to direct. The Disney+ release is scheduled for 2026, premiering alongside the highly anticipated second season of Daredevil.
Bernthal told The Hollywood Reporter “I care very deeply about Frank, I’m really grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to tell the story that I think the fans deserve. We’re giving it our all and we’re trying to tell a Frank Castle story that we’re going to turn our back on the audience — it’s not going to be easy, it’s not going to be light, and I think it’s the version that this character deserves and I’m just beyond honored and grateful that we get the opportunity.”
Bernthal also commented about the special stacked up against the Netflix series. “It’s going to be dark; Frank has no interest in breaking out the darkness. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t know if that’s the Netflix tone then that’s what it’s going to be,” saying, “It will not be Punisher-lite, I promise you that.”
The special is not the only project Bernthal is currently working on. Bernthal is starring in The Accountant 2 alongside Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, Good Will Hunting), a sequel to The Accountant.
Benthal spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming film.
“Ben and I were talking, it’s always walking down the street, people mention the things that you do and people always talk about The Accountant. It seems to be a movie that has a real following and it really struck a chord with so many people. I’m really glad that it did, it’s bringing me back with people I really love.”
The Accountant 2 will be in theaters April 25, and the Punisher special will be available stream in 2026.