Warner Bros.' upcoming "Mad Max: Fury Road" star Tom Hardy may have dropped out of David Ayer's "Suicide Squad", but he is determined to return into the comic book cinema with a character he personally chose: Marvel's gun-toting vigilante hero, Frank Castle, also known as "The Punisher". However, the actor's height and the character's Rated-R story seem to get on his way.
Hardy was set to star in a supervillain team-up film "Suicide Squad" before he dropped out and be replaced by Joel Kinnaman. Nevertheless, he still wants to do a comic book movie, saying in an interview: "I want The Punisher... I want The Punisher, or Splinter Cell, I want something...I don't know what I want."
Hardy who is also known as Bane in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises" then pointed out his height as a factor that might prevent him from ever getting the role. "I'm not big enough to be The Punisher; I'm 5'9"," he said laughing in an interview with Collider.
The actor is only two inches shorter than 2004's "The Punisher Thomas" Jane. Despite his lack of height, he is still confident to play the character as the Punisher's alter ego suits him. "Frank Castle, I would love it," Hardy said referring to the businessman hero who avenged his murdered family.
After flopping twice in the movies, Marvel reacquired the film rights to the character in 2010. However, there are still no announcements in greenlighting another Punisher film. Cinemablend reports that this may be due to Disney's refusal in having a Rated-R film in its Marvel movies. It is known that every film released by Marvel Studios has a rating of PG-13, and aside from some violence and occasional language, what these movies have are mostly child-friendly. An ex-military man who employs murder, kidnapping, threats of violence, and torture in his war on crime does not really fit the mild tone of these films.
With Netflix's Daredevil going grittier than other Marvel shows, perhaps its time for another dark character in its cinematic universe. Marvel might have no plans in producing another Punisher movie, it is still fun to think though, that an actor like Tom Hardy, who is known for his strong and persistent characters, is determined to do so.
Hardy will be seen next in "Mad Max: Fury Road" premiering on May 15.
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