A very reliable source at Latino Review is reporting that the new Punisher has been cast. It looks like it will be ... drumroll please ... Ray Stevenson. Latino Review expects this information to be confirmed at ComicCon later this week or possibly before. Stevenson's biggest film role so far was probably as Dagonet in 2004's King Arthur, but he's likely best known as Titus Pullo on HBO's very entertaining (and of course, canceled -- damn you, HBO!) Rome. Thomas Jane played the Punisher in 2004, Dolph Lundgren played the part in 1989. Former World Karate and Kickboxing Champion Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans) will direct The Punisher 2. The villain will be Jigsaw, whom I faintly remember from my days of collecting comic cards to fit in at junior high school.

I somehow managed to miss both film versions of The Punisher, but I've heard they kind of live up to their names. Was John Travolta as ridiculous in the 2004 version as he looked in the previews? I can't say the thought of this new one is thrilling me, either. I was intrigued when John Dahl was going to direct it. But as Jessica told you last month, he decided the script, written by Stuart Beattie, Jonathan Hensleigh and Kurt Sutter, was "not that good." Yikes. A little wikipedia research reveals that what little I remember about The Punisher is accurate: he "considers killing, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence and torture as acceptable crime-fighting tactics." Hey, whatever pays the bills. Ray Stevenson is probably a better choice than Thomas Jane, but don't you think a perfect selection would be Henry Rollins? How has that guy not been considered?

Did you hear the one about the Polish hit man (Sir Ben Kingsley) who gets sent from Buffalo to San Francisco to sober up? That's the nutshell plot of John Dahl's You Kill Me, a return to the off-kilter crime tales of his earlier independents The Last Seduction and Red Rock West. Téa Leoni doesn't just play the flinty-yet-flirty San Francisco saleswoman who falls for Kingsley; she also came on board the film as a producer. Dahl and Leoni spoke with Cinematical in San Francisco about low-budget film making, scene-stealing and other petty larcenies.

Cinematical: Your previous film, The Great Raid was a effects-heavy period piece set during World War II; was part of the appeal of doing You Kill Me being able to do something more modern-day and not smaller in scope but less arduous on a production level?

Dahl: I think it was fun to do an independent film; but I think a lot of it is just kind of an amazing opportunity happened; Ben Kingsley and Carol Baum sent me a script and it was actually good. The challenge was – my first reaction when I read it was "Wow, this is a great script; no one will make it. It'll cost too much." It was like doing the limbo. I said, 'This is 11 million; maybe you could do it for seven. ..." And I think we finally settled on four.

Leoni: Three-point-four, I think we had at one point. ...

Having never seen the Thomas Jane's incarnation of The Punisher, you can't blame me for failing to gather much enthusiasm for Marvel's vigilante after what Dolph Lundgren did with the character. Back in May, Scott had brought us the news that John Dahl could be taking over directing duties for The Punisher 2. Well, here we are almost a month later and Dahl is no longer interested in going ahead with the film, despite some early enthusiasm for the project. In an interview with UGO with Dahl while he was out promoting his latest film, You Kill Me with Ben Kingsley, the topic of Punisher 2 came up. Dahl said: "I actually thought I could make a better movie. But then when I really started thinking about what it was and the fact that the studio kind of didn't want to spend a whole lot of money, it was like "Do I want to do an action movie in 40 days? With a massive second unit?" Dahl goes on to state that the script "was not that good" -- Which is probably bad news for fans that were worried the studio was toying with the idea of turning the film into a straight to DVD cash grab.

Talk of a sequel to the 2004 film began to heat up back in December, with promises of a new direction for the movie that was going to correct the mistakes of the past. But the loss of Dahl is the second hit the project has taken since Jane dropped out back in May. Dahl seems happy to be off the hook for the film and instead is going to focus on independent projects. For now, it looks like The Punisher 2 is not only in the market for a new star and director, but they might have to go back to the drawing board all together.

Just a few days ago we shared a rumor that filmmaker John Dahl might be in the running to direct the Thomas Jane-less Punisher 2 ... but I'll believe that when I see it. Until then (well, on June 22, anyway) we can focus on a movie that Dahl definitely DID direct. It's a dark comedy called You Kill Me and you can check out the new trailer right here. (I'd say the trailer probably gives too much of the story away, but I guess that's how they sell movies these days.)

The flick stars Ben Kingsley as an alcoholic assassin from Buffalo who's forced to take a job at a San Francisco funeral home and somehow gets romantic with Tea Leoni. Also on board are Philip Baker Hall, Luke Wilson, Dennis Farina and Bill Pullman. Heck, forget the trailer. I'd go see this movie based only on the cast and the director. Oddly enough, You Kill Me was written by the team that penned both of the Narnia adaptations. Interesting. And for those who don't understand why I hold John Dahl in such high regard, I recommend you check out Red Rock West, The Last Seduction or Joy Ride. (Yes, I said Joy Ride. It's good.) Plus he did Rounders, and who doesn't love that movie?

Just yesterday we learned that actor Thomas Jane was hanging up his Punisher T-shirt (you know, the black one with the skull on it) for good, and today there seems to be just a little more news regarding the sequel. According to Freeze Dried Movies (aka Bloody-Disgusting.com), none other than John Dahl is presently in talks to helm The Punisher 2. We'll give FDM the benefit of the doubt until we get some secondary confirmation, but this would be a pretty interesting pairing. (And if it turns out our source is right, then damn good job on the scoop, fellas.)

For those who thought film noir died in the '60s, let me introduce John Dahl. Sometimes writer / solid director behind The Last Seduction, Red Rock West, Joy Ride and Rounders, Dahl is (in this commentator's humble opinion) a damn fine filmmaker. OK sure, that Unforgettable flick was pretty darn ... forgettable, but I'm one of the few who thought Mr. Dahl's foray into the wartime genre (The Great Raid) was quite the underrated flick. (The director also has the dark comedy You Kill Me scheduled for a June 22 release.) But would a fairly indie-minded filmmaker like John Dahl (who's had a pair of pretty painful studio experiences) actually be interested in helming a movie called The Punisher 2? Maybe not, but I'd be willing to bet if Dahl does climb on board, we're going to get a much better flick than the first Punisher, Thomas Jane or no Thomas Jane.