Jeph Loeb Denies THE PUNISHER Spin-Off Series at Netflix

A little over a month ago, we heard that Marvel and Netflix were developing a new spin-off series for The Punisher with star Jon Bernthal in mind to reprise his role from the upcoming second season of Daredevil. Since then, things have been quiet, but now Marvel TV head honcho Jeph Loeb has come out saying that fans shouldn't believe everything they read. He told Digital Spy:

"I think that's something that people are speculating on, as opposed to something that's actually happening. It's certainly our hope that any of our characters will be embraced and that people want to see more of them."

That sounds like a weak-ass denial to me. I'm guessing a Punisher show is ready and waiting, but the execs are just waiting to make sure that everyone is receptive to the character when Daredevil season 2 debuts before they officially pull the trigger. It would be pretty embarrassing to announce a spin-off, only to have the show debut and everyone hate his character. To me, this reads as just safe decision-making on Marvel TV's part, and I will not be surprised in the least when a Punisher show gets an official green light in a few weeks.

And for those who are interested, Loeb also spoke a bit about the renewal of Jessica Jones for a second season and how that was surprising news for him:

"When they announced that Jessica Jones was getting a second season, every single report said, 'It should come as a surprise to no one that Jessica Jones has received a second season order'. I'm the guy going, 'Well, it was a surprise to me!' It isn't a given in television. The fact that we get to continue telling stories with these characters speaks a lot about the quality of the storytelling and the acting and the writing. We are telling the best stories that we can at Netflix, and they seem to be responding to it."

Season 2 of Daredevil will be available for streaming on Netflix starting on March 18th.