The Punisher is a 2004 American vigilante action film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, in his directorial debut, who also co-wrote the film with Michael France. It stars Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle and John Travolta as Howard Saint, a crime boss who orders the deaths of Castle's entire family. The film's story and plot were mainly based on two Punisher comic book stories: the 1994 miniseries The Punisher: Year One, by writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and the 2000–01 miniseries Welcome Back, Frank, by writer Garth Ennis, though some scenes were derived from other Punisher stories, such as Marvel Preview Presents: The Punisher #2, Marvel Super Action Featuring: The Punisher #1, The Punisher War Zone, and The Punisher War Journal. The Punisher was shot on location in Tampa, Florida and environs in mid- to late 2003. It was distributed by Lions Gate Films in North America, although Artisan Entertainment, which released a 1989 film adaptation of the same name on DVD, financed and co-distributed the film with eventual Artisan owner Lionsgate. Artisan's sales agent Summit Entertainment handled international sales, with Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International acquiring the rights in all non-North American territories except for eight Southeast Asian and Middle East territories as well as India and China.[4] Screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh agreed to direct the film during its development stage despite a dispute with Marvel Studios, marking his directorial debut. Lionsgate Films released The Punisher on April 16, 2004. It grossed $13 million in the United States over its opening weekend and reached a total gross of $54.7 million against a budget of $33 million, but the reviews were generally negative. Marvel Comics and Lionsgate began development on a sequel titled The Punisher 2, which instead became the 2008 reboot Punisher: War Zone after Jane and Hensleigh left the project due to creative differences. The film marks the final production by Artisan Entertainment for theatrical distribution.
