When 'The Walking Dead' first made its way to the small screen, Jon Bernthal was one of the integral pieces of making the show a success, playing Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) best friend Shane Walsh. Unfortunately, his character wasn't long for the zombie-infested world, but Bernthal has since continued to make a name for himself in a number of big projects.

Gale Anne Hurd has always been a fan of The PunisherGale Anne Hurd has always been a fan of The Punisher

His latest is in Marvel's newest collaboration with Netflix on a solo series based on Marvel Comics character Frank Castle, aka The Punisher. First introduced in the second season of 'Daredevil', Castle is somebody who has a 'take no prisoners' approach to life, first seeking vengeance following the murder of his loved ones, and now fighting to make the streets of New York a safer place for everybody.

Castle isn't by any means a hero, but he's certainly somebody that the fans feel they can get behind. In his character, many have found a sense of relatability, but it has taken a while to get to this point in the world of live action.

In the past, we've seen attempts at bringing The Punisher to the big screen by Gale Anne Hurd - also a producer on 'The Walking Dead' - but they always failed to make the best impression. Now, with Bernthal ensuring that Castle is somebody who can live in the world of Marvel Television thanks to his stellar performance, Hurd is reflecting on the character and opened up about how she feels about the upcoming Netflix series.

In a recent interview with Cinemablend, Hurd said she was looking forward to seeing The Walking Dead's former actor in the upcoming Marvel series. She said: "Obviously, yes, and I don’t think they could have found a better Frank Castle than Jon Bernthal. I am as eager to see that show as anyone, as a fan of his, and obviously as a fan of the character."

With Bernthal tackling what is arguably his biggest role to-date, there are some big expectations ahead for his solo Punisher series. Let's hope he can continue to tick all of the boxes moving forward...

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No official release date has yet been given for 'The Punisher', but we do know it'll be coming to Netflix before the end of 2017.