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Jon Bernthal is suiting up once again as the Punisher — and this time, he’s heading to the big screen alongside Tom Holland.
Bernthal has officially joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest entry in Sony and Marvel’s ever-expanding Spider-Verse. Directed by Shang-Chi filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, the film is set to shoot in England this summer ahead of a July 31, 2026 release.
Plot details remain tightly under wraps, but speculation is already running wild. Rumors have teased everything from street-level crime bosses to multiple versions of the Hulk — and even a symbiote or two. One thing is confirmed: Zendaya and Jacob Batalon will return as MJ and Ned, though it’s unclear how much screen time they’ll actually get. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is also joining the cast in a still-unknown role.
Bringing Bernthal’s Punisher into the mix suggests a grittier tone for this chapter of Peter Parker’s story. In the comics, Frank Castle is more fists-and-firearms than web-shooters and nanotech — but watching him clash with a raging Hulk could be the kind of chaotic fun Marvel fans live for.
Bernthal first made his mark as the Punisher in Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix before leading his own standalone series for two seasons. More recently, he reprised the role for Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+.
And Marvel has big plans for Bernthal moving forward. Not only will he return for Born Again Season 2, but he’s also co-writing and starring in a new Punisher feature for Disney+. According to reports, Bernthal had one condition for stepping back into Castle’s boots: the tone had to stay true to the character’s ultra-violent, R-rated roots. How that translates to a more family-friendly Spider-Man movie remains to be seen.
The connection between Bernthal and Holland actually goes back years. The pair were filming Pilgrimage together in 2017 while preparing to audition for their respective Marvel roles — and helped each other tape those fateful auditions.
Outside the MCU, Bernthal’s recent projects include The Accountant 2 opposite Ben Affleck for Amazon and The Amateur, a thriller starring Rami Malek for 20th Century Studios.
Bernthal is repped by CAA and Sloane Offer.
English (US)