The creative writing process is very unpredictable and sometimes your story evolves thanks to a number of factors. But an argument can be made that when you’re writing for the screen, it gets a lot more complicated. After all, filmmaking is a collaborative effort. Once a writer completes a script, then a director or some producers might have some input. The studio might weigh in after that. And finally, there’s a chance that the actors could make some changes that are worth keeping. In fact, some members of the cast might just be so good that you must see more of them. That appears to be the case when it comes to Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page and Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle AKA The Punisher.
When Netflix and Marvel Television decided to give the trigger happy antihero his own television series after his debut in ‘Daredevil’ Season Two, it was originally meant to be an isolated story that would stand separate from the shows that spawned ‘The Defenders’. However, during a recent interview with Mashable, showrunner Steve Lightfoot revealed that he had requested to use Karen for a crossover after he saw the chemistry between Woll and Bernthal on the set of the Man Without Fear’s last solo outing:
“I asked to have her, because she and Frank [Castle] are so great. Frank is a closed-off military guy, and this is a woman he treats like an equal more than anyone else.”
Honestly, it makes a lot of sense for Miss Page to appear in ‘The Punisher’. After all, she was extremely invested in the well being of Castle after his appearance in ‘Daredevil’, so it makes sense to have her check in on him. Plus, it’s always good to have a little reminder that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all connected. Up to this point, Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple has acted as that connection for Marvel’s Netflix shows. But Claire wasn’t as close to Frank as Karen was, so it exactly wouldn’t fit to have her pop in to patch up the former soldier since they didn’t really have that kind of rapport.
Are you excited to see Karen Page in ‘The Punisher’? How do you think she and Frank Castle will cross paths again? And what else are you hoping to see when the show hits the popular streaming service next month? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments.
‘The Punisher’ starring Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Amber Rose Revah, Daniel Webber, Jason R. Moore, Paul Schulze, Jaime Ray Newman, Michael Nathanson, and Deborah Ann Woll debuts on Netflix on November 17, 2017.
