"Daredevil" season 2 introduced Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka the Punisher and is viewed by many as one of the main highlights of the season. His popularity has risen so high that a report from Entertainment Weekly confirms Netflix is indeed moving forward with a spin-off series focusing entirely on the Punisher's exploits.
According to the report, Netflix has ordered a spin-off series which will see Bernthal reprise his role as the violent crime-fighting vigilante. "Hannibal" and "Casualty" writer-executive producer Steve Lightfoot has been attached to the series as showrunner.
It is pointed out that "The Punisher" series is the sixth original Marvel Cinematic Universe series to appear on Netflix, following "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "Luke Cage," "Iron Fist" and the ensemble series "The Defenders." It is also stated that at this point there is no indication if the Punisher will now be included in "The Defenders" lineup.
Given that the series has just been green-lit it is undetermined at this point what the main focus of "The Punisher" will center on, although it is likely to introduce one or two mainstay villains such as Jigsaw. The series may also focus on the aftermath of the events from "Daredevil" season 2 and tie into "The Defenders."
As stated in a report from Cinema Blend, this will be the first time that the fans have heavily affected the way Netflix approaches their adaptations with the MCU property. Due to the fans responding so positively to Bernthal's Punisher a new series has been developed and it may now affect "The Defenders" and other series moving forward.
This is differentiated from "Luke Cage," wherein the character of Luke Cage (Mike Colter) was first introduced in "Jessica Jones" before getting his own series. As stated in the report, the solo "Luke Cage" series was already planned in the very beginning, back when Netflix was still laying down the plans for their MCU series, unlike "The Punisher," which was born from the demands from fans.
