Artisan Entertainment's adaptation of Marvel Comics' The Punisher will start shooting on August 2 in Tampa, Florida. Thomas Jane stars as the hardnosed vigilante hero. The rest of the cast includes John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Laura Harring, Samantha Mathis, Will Patton, James Carpinello, Mark Collie, Ben Foster, John Pinette, Eddie Jamison, and Russell Andrews.
Since the Punisher movie is not heavy on special effects, its August start date puts it on track for an early summer 2004 debut (see 'Marvel Releases Movie Schedule for 2004'). Shooting is already underway on Spider-Man 2, which will be released on July 2, 2004, and Marvel has indicated that there could be as many as three additional Marvel-based films, Blade 3, Fantastic Four, and Iron Fist, out next year.
