It’s been another busy old week for fans of Frank Castle. First up, a series of new set-photos landed courtesy of Getty Images, which showed British actress Amber Rose in character as CIA Agent Dinah Madani.
If that wasn’t exciting enough, she was also joined by the as-yet unannounced Michael Nathanson (Wolf of Wall Street, The Knick), who appeared to be playing an unnamed fellow CIA agent.
Speculation about the identity of Nathanson’s character pointed towards him possibly being a version of Agent Bill Roth, a shady agency operator who ends up with his testicles floating in a coffee cup after crossing paths with infamous Punisher foe, Nicky Cavella.
Were this the case, that would indicate that the material for the new Netflix series would be drawing on the rather superb MAX comic-book imprint, which contained a whole host of brilliant and warped characters providing great potential to be successfully lifted from page to screen.
Well today, Marvel have gone and announced a further four new characters for the show, which confirm that the new series is most definitely headed for MAX territory. First up, the official announcement from Marvel:
Daniel Webber (“11.22.63”) has been cast as Lewis Walcott, a young veteran who has had a difficult time re-assimilating into Civilian Society.
Jason R. Moore (“A Lonely Place for Dying”) joins as Curtis Hoyle, a friend of Frank Castle’s and one of the few people who knows he is alive.
Paul Schulze (“Nurse Jackie”) will play Rawlins, a high-ranking member of the CIA whose operations in Afghanistan intersect with Frank Castle.
Jaime Ray Newman (“Bates Motel”) plays Sarah Lieberman, Micro’s wife (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach) whose marriage has made her life far more complicated.
Michael Nathanson (“The Knick,” “Wolf of Wall Street”) has been cast as Sam Stein, a Homeland agent who is challenged by his partnership with Dinah (Amber Rose Revah).
Australian actor Daniel Webber has been cast as an army veteran named Lewis Walcott, who the cast notes indicate is potentially suffering PTSD as a result of the traumas of war, and is ‘having a difficult time re-assimilating into Civilian Society.’ The character will almost certainly be in the employ of Billy Russo’s nefarious private security firm, ANVIL, and it remains to be seen how he will interact with Castle. Webber (Sleeping Beauty) is largely unknown outside his native Oz, but recently broke out playing Lee Harvey Oswald in the sci-fi series ’11:22:63′.
Next up TV actor Jason R. Moore has been cast as another veteran, Curtis Hoyle. Hoyle is a friend of Castle’s, one of the few to know he is still alive, and may well already have been teased in the photo of Frank’s unit seen in ‘Daredevil’. Other than small parts in ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ and ‘A Lonely Place For Dying’, this is Moore’s biggest role to date.
Then things get interesting. Veteran TV actress Jaime Ray Newman (Bates Motel) has been cast as Sarah Lieberman, who is he wife of Frank’s ally, Microchip. The fact that this series will find Linus Lieberman still married, will add a massive complication to his working with Frank Castle, effectively dooming his marriage.
And now for the big news, which will excite the living hell out of hardcore Punisher MAX fans. Paul Schulze has been revealed to be playing utter bastard William Rawlins. The character is one of Frank Castle’s most odious foes, acting as the front man for a cabal of corrupt military officers, who strike deals with the Mafia and foreign governments at the expense of their men. Schulze has been around since 1989, appearing in numerous TV shows and movies, amongst them ‘Zodiac’ and ‘Rambo’.
The casting of Rawlins opens the door for the casting of not only Nicky Cavella, but a whole host of foreign and domestic Punisher enemies, and his ex-wife Kathryn O’Brien, one of the Punisher’s few love interests. It also makes the wait for the new series even more unbearable.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more talented group of actors to round out the cast of Marvel’s The Punisher,” said showrunner Steve Lightfoot. “It’s a thrill to watch them each bring their characters to life with such layered, nuanced performances.”
“Marvel TV is very proud of the cast of The Punisher,” Executive Producer Jeph Loeb said. “Each actors brings a special promise who surround Jon Bernthal’s exceptional performance.”
Source: Marvel