Originally published May 5, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
Hopefully Marvel Studios’ creative teams are up-to-speed on social media, because Collider just broke a story that Mad Max: Fury Road star Tom Hardy wants to play The Punisher.
In a new interview with The Dark Knight Rises alum, Collider asked Hardy about his recent Suicide Squad departure and asked if he’d be interested in playing more comic book characters. Hardy seemed interested in the prospect, and put Frank Castle on the top of his wishlist:
“I want to play Punisher… I want the Punisher, or Splinter Cell, I want something… I don’t know what I want… [but] I’m not big enough to be The Punisher, I’m 5’9″ [laughs].”
Hardy’s height may be a bit shy of Punisher War Zone‘s Ray Stevenson, who clocks in at 6’4″, but he’s just two inches shorter than The Punisher‘s Tom Jane, who stands at 5’11”. Hollywood magic could easily make Hardy look taller though (just look at what Marvel has done with making Robert Downey Jr., the same height as Hardy, a bit closer in size to his MCU co-stars), so that wouldn’t be a deal breaker.
What’s really important is that Hardy has the acting chops and intimidation necessary to pull off the character. He’s also been on Marvel’s radar before, as he was said to be in the running for Doctor Strange (a role that went to Benedict Cumberbatch). We may not know when The Punisher is coming from the studio, but Daredevil star Charlie Cox and season one showrunner Steven S. DeKnight are itching to bring the character to Netflix, so perhaps it’s possible?
Tell us, would you like to see Tom Hardy play Frank Castle?
https://youtu.be/8HTiU_hrLms?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
