Paddy Considine IS Jigsaw in the new Punisher movie. No, wait, let’s get this right: Paddy Considine is NOT Jigsaw in the new Punisher movie.
Sorry for the confusion, but it came direct from the great man himself, who announced on the messageboards of his official website that he had been offered the role of Jigsaw – a Mob hitman whose face is hideously disfigured by The Punisher, and who thus becomes hellbent on a painful revenge – in the upcoming Punisher: War Zone, to be directed by Lexi Alexander.
In a thread entitled ‘Considine: I Haven’t Sold Out’, in which the actor – who frequently posts on his own message boards – initially responded to a negatively-spun story about his appearance in The Bourne Ultimatum, Considine casually mentioned that he had been offered a part in the Punisher sequel, which will star fellow Brit Ray Stevenson as The Punisher/Frank Castle.
He later clarified that he had been offered Jigsaw (not to be confused with the bad guy in the Saw franchise) but hadn’t yet read the script.
No sooner had he said that then news spread fast and suddenly it was all over the net that Paddy Considine WAS Jigsaw. But, as they sometimes say in comic books, not so fast! For Paddy was back on a few hours later with bad news:
“It all means jack anyway. The original choice for Jigsaw dropped out, then they offerered it to me,” he revealed, adding with his characteristic and utterly refreshing directness. “I'm very dubious because the other films looked shite. Then whoever is responsible said that their original choice has decided to do it, therefore pulling my offer. The only blessing was that I didn't waste an hour of my life reading the script. That be the way of the film world.”
Of course, this isn’t Considine’s first flirtation with comic book movies – he was //this// close to playing Rorschach in Paul Greengrass’ aborted version of Watchmen. And as he says very clearly on the first page of the ‘Sold Out’ thread, he wouldn’t be averse to a Hollywood blockbuster.
And though he may have been second choice, Marvel’s interest in Considine for Punisher 2 continues their policy of recruiting major-league acting talent to their current projects. With Thor about to go before cameras, they could do a lot worse than look at Paddy for a major role there.
To read the entire, hugely entertaining thread, click here.