What's up with that dodgy scene in Punisher: One Last Kill? ALSO: All the news from the Netflix upfronts
It’s a very news-heavy day today with Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery both hosting upfronts events. You’ll find the slew of news in today’s newsletter, with just one story catching my interest today.
Last week Hulu surprised us with the unexpected release of the hour-long streaming film Gary. It was a prequel to The Bear TV show and was co-written by and co-starred Jon Bernthal (alongside Ebon Moss-Bacharach). It was celebrated by critics and warmly received by fans.
This week Jon Bernthal is back in another hour-long streaming film (actually just 44 minutes). This time it was on Hulu sister Disney+ and it was a Marvel production: Punisher: One Last Kill. This was not as warmly received, instead, it seemed like all the focus instead was on an incredibly dodgy moment in the show.
Reviews were mostly positive. I liked that it was a tight one and done – I have never been convinced that the world needs The Punisher movies or ongoing TV shows (he’s a very one-note character with not a lot to say). But short one-offs like this actually work pretty well. I was amused though that the depiction of a violent city overrun with crime looked and felt just like the opening act of Beau Is Afraid.
If you haven’t seen Beau, which frankly is most people, this Anatomy of a Scene promo video for the film gives a good indication of the city created for that film.
But… about that dodgy moment.
Instead of describing it, just watch it. Here’s the moment in question from this live-action TV show:
It has been described as an unfinished video game cut scene. And that’s because it is exactly what it looks like. Horrendous.
The Hollywood Reporter followed up on the story and reported:
But a source close to the production tells The Hollywood Reporter that this is a real in-camera shot. Bernthal performed the beginning of the fall, and his stuntman took over for the impact shot. There is some VFX, however, which might explain some of the wonkiness — the stuntman’s face was swapped for Bernthal’s.
Watching it with that knowledge… it still looks like a poorly rendered video game cut scene.
Something else that is just a bit off… I think it’s hilarious that Marvel’s Behind The Scenes promotional video for Punisher: One Last Kill is longer, at 52 minutes, than the actual film.
Netflix Upfronts News Desk
With Bridgerton returning for season five in 2027, it marks the first time in the show’s history that the show will stream new episodes in consecutive years without a two-year gap. Read: Deadline
Netflix reports it now has 250m monthly active viewers as it expands its ad-tier to 15 more countries. Read: Deadline
David E Kelley will co-write and co-showrun a Netflix adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar. Read: thefutoncritic
Netflix gave a series order to Calabasas Confidential, a scripted show from Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen and executive producers Kim Kardashian and Emma Roberts. Read: Variety
Ben Stiller will star in a Netflix movie opposite upcoming He-Man Nicholas Galitzine, ‘A Matter of Time.’ Read: THR
My Life With The Walter Boys has been renewed for a fourth season. Read: thefutoncritic
Running Point has been renewed for a third season. Read: Deadline
Netflix is developing an Adam Sandler-led Grown Ups 3, with Kyle Newacheck set to direct. Read: THR
The Lincoln Lawyer will be back for a fifth and final season at Netflix. Read: THR
New Dan Levy comedy Big Mustakes has been renewed for a second season. Red: Deadline
Netflix has announced a Danish adaptation of Love Is Blind. Read: thefutoncritic
Netflix is adding three regular NFL games in the 2026-27 season as it extends its deal with the league. Read: Deadline
Something I have never really talked about in public before… I love watching dog shows on TV. So, it’s very exciting to find out Netflix now has the rights to stream the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show from 2027. Read: Deadline
Variety has a write-up of the event.
Warner Bros Discovery Upfronts News Desk
Season three of The Pitt will be set just before the November holidays (so, presumably Thanksgiving). Read: Deadline
Have I Got News For You will be back for a fifth season at CNN. Read: Deadline
Does it seem like there was a lot less to discuss at the WBD Upfronts than at Netflix? This THR write-up of the event and its headline conveys it all:
Had Netflix gone through with the sale, I sense that there would be a very different newsletter being published today…
The Regular ol’ News Desk
Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernandez has signed a contract with second division team Paso Locomotive. #DaniRojas Read: Deadline
YouTube held its own upfronts with the spotlight on new shows by Trevor Noah, Alex Cooper, and others. Read: Variety
The SBS Board has appointed Jane Palfreyman as managing director for a five-year term. This is good news as I really liked Jane when I worked with her at SBS. Read: iF
Trailer Park
East of Eden debuts on Netflix in the US Fall. It stars Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and Hoon Lee.
The Hawk debuts on Netflix July 16.
Lonnie Hawkins, (Will Ferrell) 2004's number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic.
Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, a spin-off from The Big Bang Theory, debuts on HBO Max July 23.
Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert, and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke. Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from “The Big Bang Theory.” As the title implies, things don’t go well.
Human Vapor debuts on Netflix July 2.
The world is shocked when a person suddenly swells and explodes on live television. The culprit behind this unprecedented murder is a man who has been turned into gas: the Human Vapor. He announces and carries out a series of murders. The Human Vapor uses the nature of gas to move uninhibited and completely elude identification, each of his bizarre killings escalating a fervor of fear and curiosity across Japan.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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