Punisher 04 said:
They (LG) probably don't want Hensleigh at all anymore. Not even his script, which I thought was pretty bad ass. As long as it's a better script, and they get a better director, it'll be worth the wait.
I liked Hensleigh a lot, and the guy deserves a lot more credit than what he's given. I liked his serious, 70's, and gritty tone, and I enjoyed the cheesy parts too, such as the "group rate discount" type of lines (part of that 70's feel again, I guess, a la Roger Moore's 007 flicks)- it gave a very distinct feel to Punisher, reminding me a little bit of Pulp Fiction. I loved how the marvel films- spidey, x-men, daredevil, hulk, punisher, and even fantastic four- all had distinct feels. But now with ghost rider, singer's move over to supes and x3's being given to ratner, and the possibility of hensleigh not doing punisher 2, I'm losing a bit of that feel.
3 things killed this film's Box Office: 1) Kill Bill- it was another revenge flick, a sequel, better advertised, and Quentin Tarantino's, whose a baby of the critics. 2) Critics panned it- critics have a tendency to want all films to fit one specific mold that they think determines "quality", and they'll never accept anything otherwise. For example, look at the aforementioned cheesy dialogue- it was intentional, but that was one of the things critics used to tear the film apart, attributing it to just poor writing. Maybe if it was a critical darling like sam raimi or bryan singer it would be ok, but not someone like Hensleigh. 3) Bad word of mouth from the comic fans. Fans of the comic didn't want him plotting, planning, or trying to get revenge, they just wanted to see the no-holds-barred punisher of the comics. They were dissapointed, they were the ones along with critics seeing the film early, and since everyone who saw it early complained, noone else went to see it once it opened.
I think Lionsgate is smart enough to figure this stuff out- I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that they're just taking their time to get the best possible product, and also that we get our Punisher Director's Cut once they start filming the sequel. DVD sales showed that people did enjoy this film (I haven't spoken to anyone yet who hasn't), and it isn't a franchise that should just be tossed in the trash.
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