Interviews
Exclusive Interview: Tom Jane is Out of Punisher 2 and Ready To Take on the World!
Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 22, 2007
Recently we at Film School Rejects had the opportunity to sit with Tom Jane, also known as The Punisher to the fanboys out there. We got a chance to talk about his recent decision to drop out of The Punisher 2, current films with which he is involved, future projects and of course, comic books. Look out world, here comes Tom Jane the actor, writer, director, producer, comic book guru and overall bad-ass. I mean it’s better than your job working at a gas station right?
Tom Jane has starred in films like Boogie Nights, The Thin Red Line, 61, Dreamcatcher, The Stander, The Punisher and most recently The Tripper. If you remember, we had a chance to talk with David Arquette about The Tripper and what it was like to direct the film and Jane, which happens to be his brother-in-law. The performance that he gave in The Punisher not only solidified legitimacy for comic based movies, but also launched Tom into super-star and super-badass status. Which makes his departure from the role of The Punisher 2 as puzzling as ever.
Some of you might or might not know about the recent news reported by AICN that Tom Jane has dropped out of The Punisher 2. The role of Frank Castle is now up for grabs, or even out for good now that Tom has gracefully stepped away from the project. On the subject of the film, Tom said “The movie I wanted to make wasn’t the movie that was coming down the line. So, I had a decision to make and I made the one that I can live with. I can’t force them to make the movie that I see, so there is really only one alternative, and that is the one I took.” The word on the street is that most fans, while they may be disappointed, call Jane’s decision is a good one and shows alot of integrity and class. This might be a speedbump for most people, but with two films due out later this year, Tom might only see it as something in the rear-view.
Killshot is a film that has not yet been highly publicized yet, but boasts a very interesting but awesome cast. Starring Tom, Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Johnny Knoxville, Killshot is due out sometime in October. While Tom didn’t have a lot to say about Killshot, he did say that it was a “fun experience to work on.” Shortly after Killshot is due out you can expect to see Tom in another thriller in the month of November. The Mist.
The Mist is a film that Tom expressed alot of enthusiasm in, mostly around the fact that it will be directed by three time Oscar nominee Frank Darabont. You might remember Darabont from films like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Darabont is taking the reigns of another film derived from a Stephen King novel. Tom cites Frank as being his reason for being drawn to the project, “He called me…I thought it was great.It’s the kind of phone call you can hope for as an actor when Frank Darabont calls you up and says he has a part for you in his movie…I think it’s going to be great.” Tom has a busy last half of 2007, and an even more exciting 2008 for films.
One film of Tom’s that is due out in 2008 is The Mutant Chronicles. I share Tom’s enthusiasm in the project, and due to the fact that there is not a lot of press out on the film yet, Tom helps shed a little light.
We had a blast…We shot the whole thing in England, and just had a really good time…The Mutant Chronicles is like a steampunk world. Its a world set about 100 years after we switch over to steam power. Everything is kind of sooty…its like the new Victorian age. Its very cool. The basic story is that there’s no more countries, but four corporations have taken over the world. If you work for the corporation, you are a soldier basically. The four corporations are constantly at war and they are destroying the planet. Everything is a fucking wasteland… all their bombs and shit end up cracking open this ancient seal that has held these mutants underground. This machine that’s been underground…it pumps out necro-soldiers, sort of undead soldiers. They start flooding the earth, and they start devastating all four corporations.
I think it sounds awesome, and can’t wait for it in 2008. Tom also has another flick due out in 2008 called Dark Country. He will be directing and starring in what he calls a “dark noir Hitchcockian thriller.” While Tom is currently looking for a studio for his film, he is also looking for his leading lady. When I asked Tom who he’s really like to work with he said, “I need a really good girl, I need the Grace Kelly. I need the Hitchcock blonde…I like Elisha Cuthbert…I have to find a nice modern girl. When I say Grace Kelly, I mean qualities are sophisticated, sexy…a little bit mysterious, a little bit cold yet hotter than hell.” While Tom keeps up his search for a leading lady, look out for Dark Country, which by the way will also be shot in 3-D.
I’m sure some of you don’t know that Tom also works on comic books. For those of you who don’t know, Tom has a bad-ass comic called Bad Planet, which is produced by Raw Entertainment. Raw has quite the talent pool, and has people like Tom, Bernie Wrightson, our good friend Tim Bradstreet and Steve Niles working on Bad Planet. While Tom says that he doesn’t need to convince anyone about Bad Planet’s badassery, you could still tell his enthusiasm and commitment to the series:
It’s a kick ass story with great art. It’s going to stand head and shoulders above most of the crap that is out there. Bad Planet is a book to speak for itself and find an audience, and continue to find an audience for years to come. It wanted to be born and just found some people that would take it there, and it wormed its way into our brains. It has a life of its own…I’m very proud of it.
I loved Bad Planet #1 and I’m sure any fans out there are looking forward to what is next from the series. Tom spoke of the next big step, and that is 3-D. “We have 14 pages of incredible 3-D coming your way.” Look for more Bad Planet in July, especially when FSR is out in San Diego covering Comic-Con. Please do me a favor and pick up Bad Planet, because Tom sent out a warning to our readers, “Tell them they better pick up Bad Planet or I’ll kick their fuckin’ ass… and I want them to know that what we have coming out of Raw Studios is going to be a cut above all the other crap that is coming out of the other independent studios right now.”
So there you have it loyal readers. Tom Jane graces us with his presence and talks The Punisher, current flicks, future flicks and comic books. While it may seem like Tom and Raw Studios is on a quest to dominate the world with their badassery, Tom just said “we aren’t going to dominate the world, we are just going to tell the cool people whats up.”
Check out these links (that is if you are one of the cool kids):
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