Jon Bernthal's ‘Punisher’ to appear in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’

Jon Bernthal is officially stepping into the Marvel-Sony Spider-Verse. Multiple sources confirmed that the actor, best known for his role as Frank Castle aka "The Punisher", is set to appear in the upcoming "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" film,

The film, which begins production this summer in England, will be directed by "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton. It continues the storyline from "Spider-Man: No Way Home", where the world forgets Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man following Doctor Strange's spell.

Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker, with Zendaya reprising her role as MJ and Jacob Batalon back as Ned. The cast will welcome "Stranger Things" star Sadie Sink in an undisclosed role.

Bernthal, who originated his role as the gritty vigilante in Marvel's "The Punisher" series on Netflix, recently returned to the character in "Daredevil: Born Again" on Disney+. He is also co-writing an upcoming Disney+ special centred on "The Punisher" and is confirmed for the series' second season.

The crossover brings together two fan-favourite Marvel characters, reigniting excitement among fans who have long speculated about a Punisher-Spider-Man team-up on screen.

In a previous appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live", Bernthal reflected on his long standing connection with Holland. The two starred together in the 2017 film "Pilgrimage", a project that proved to be pivotal for both actors' Marvel careers.

"We actually made each other's audition tapes," Bernthal shared. "I filmed Tom's tape for 'Spider-Man', and he filmed mine for 'Punisher'. I told him, 'Run up that wall and do a double backflip—none of the other guys can do that.' And he did!"

With Bernthal joining the cast, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated Marvel projects, blending street-level grit with superhero spectacle.