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Actor says the story didn't meet his expectations

By MICHAEL HINMAN
Source: Ain't It Cool News
May-16-2007

Not only will the Punisher get a new city to fight crime in (from Tampa, Fla., to New York City), but if the movie moves forward, it will have to do it with a new star as well.

Thomas Jane, who played vengeful vigilante in the 2004 Marvel and Lions Gate film, told Ain't It Cool News that he won't be back for the sequel.

"Punisher fans are already fighting an uphill battle as it is," Jane wrote. "And I've always felt a responsibility to fight that fight for them and with them so that Frank Castle gets the treatment he deserves."

The decision to pull out seems to be a sudden one as Jane said he spent the past two years preparing for the role in the sequel, which already has begun pre-production.

"What I won't do is spend months of my life sweating over a movie that I just don't believe in," he said. "I've always loved the Marvel guys, and wish them well. Meanwhile, I'll continue to search for a film that one day might stand with all those films that the fans have asked me to watch."