Jon Bernthal is back as the stone-cold vigilante known as the Punisher in the MCU’s new Spider-Man movie starring Tom Holland.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, following his recent appearance in Marvel Television’s Daredevil: Born Again series, Bernthal will reprise his role as Frank Castle, aka the Punisher, in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Destin Daniel Cretton will direct the film from a screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, with a production budget of $200 million. As reported, the film will be a “multiversal grounded” movie and will feature multiple villains, including Tarantula, Scorpion, Boomerang, and Tombstone. According to insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has recently made offers for both the male and female villain roles in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
According to Screen Daily, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in pre-production in the U.K. and is set to start filming in mid-August in Glasgow, Scotland, with additional shoots in Morocco, Italy, and other locations. Filming is expected to wrap by this fall.
A recent rumor from scooper Alex Perez (via The Cosmic Marvel) reveals that Viper and Silver Samurai might be the main villains in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It could also tie into a storyline that leads to a team-up between Spider-Man and Shang-Chi.
Our source confirms that Mark Ruffalo is reprising his role as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. It is also rumored that Savage Hulk is reportedly being positioned as the main antagonist in Brand New Day. Scooper MyTimeToShineHello recently reported that Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) is being eyed to play the female villain.
The film stars Holland returning as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Zendaya as MJ Watson, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Sadie Sink as Gwen Stacy, and Liza Colón-Zayas in an undisclosed role. Also, Michael Mando is expected to reprise his Spider-Man: Homecoming role as Mac Gargan.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day was originally supposed to take place between Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. However, with the release dates for Doomsday and Secret Wars delayed, the entire plot has changed. The previous draft of Brand New Day followed the events of Avengers: Doomsday. In it, Peter Parker is determined to lead a normal life and focus on college, stepping back from his responsibilities as Spider-Man. However, his peace is short-lived when a deadly new threat emerges, endangering his friends and forcing Peter to reconsider his promise. With the stakes higher than ever, Peter reluctantly returns to his Spider-Man identity and finds himself teaming up with an unlikely ally to protect those he loves.
The film will be produced by Amy Pascal, Rachel O’Connor, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Mitch Bell.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to hit theaters and IMAX on July 31, 2026.
Bernthal is repped by CAA and Sloane Offer.
