Netflix Officially Cancels THE PUNISHER And JESSICA JONES, Stars Comment

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This news was a long time coming. Ever since streaming service giant Netflix pulled the plug on Daredevil shortly after its acclaimed third season, audiences have figured this news was on its way. The cancellations of Iron Fist and then Luke Cage were suspect, but once the MCU Netflix’s top show was confirmed to be finished, it became clear that Netflix was in the process of flushing out the shows as a whole. And now it’s confirmed that the remaining properties are done with their time at Netflix, concluding a relationship that has existed between the service and Marvel Studios since 2013.

Deadline reports that Netflix has cancelled both The Punisher and Jessica Jones, just one month after the former series released its second season and ahead of the later’s third season being released later in the year.

The streaming service released the following statement to Deadline:

“Marvel’s The Punisher will not return for a third season on Netflix. Showrunner Steve Lightfoot, the terrific crew, and exceptional cast including star Jon Bernthal, delivered an acclaimed and compelling series for fans, and we are proud to showcase their work on Netflix for years to come.

In addition, in reviewing our Marvel programming, we have decided that the upcoming third season will also be the final season for Marvel’s Jessica Jones. We are grateful to showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, star Krysten Ritter and the entire cast and crew, for three incredible seasons of this groundbreaking series, which was recognized by the Peabody Awards among many others.

We are grateful to Marvel for five years of our fruitful partnership and thank the passionate fans who have followed these series from the beginning.”

Marvel also released their own statement:

“It had never been done before. Four separate television series, each with different super-talented showrunners, writers, directors, cast and crew, coming out months apart and then …they would meet in a single event series all set in the heart of New York City. We called them The Defenders.

And together we were thrilled by stories of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and even the Punisher joined in! They said it couldn’t be done. But Marvel assembled amazing teams to write, produce, direct, edit, and score 13 seasons and 161 one-hour episodes. Take a moment and go online and look at the dazzling list of actors, writers, directors, and musicians who graced us with the very best of their craft.

We loved each and every minute of it.

And we did it all for you — the fans — who cheered for us around the world and made all the hard work worth it.

On behalf of everyone at Marvel Television, we couldn’t be more proud or more grateful to our audience. Our Network partner may have decided they no longer want to continue telling the tales of these great characters… but you know Marvel better than that,” the company added.

As Matthew Murdock’s Dad once said, ‘The measure of a man is not how he gets knocked to the mat, it’s how he gets back up.’ To be continued…!“

Meanwhile actress Krysten Ritter, who plays the titular lead in Jessica Jones, provided the following statement on her Instagram.

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A post shared by Krysten Ritter (@therealkrystenritter)

She stated, “Taken a few weeks back at the table read for our SERIES FINALE. I love these people to the moon and back. It has been a dream to play Jessica alongside my amazing cast and the best crew in the business for these past 5 years. I am so grateful for every second of it. We have THE BEST fans. You guys mean the world to me and I appreciate you beyond words. The final season of #JessicaJones is coming later this year and I am proud of how we complete JJ’s journey. I can’t wait for you all to see it. Stay tuned and more to come. 💪🏻🖤”

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A post shared by Jon Bernthal (@jonnybernthal)

The Punisher star Jon Bernthal also chimed in on Instagram, taking this opportunity to thank the United States Marine Corps:

“To all who have served. All who know loss. All who love and understand Frank and his pain. It has been an honor to walk in his boots. I’m endlessly grateful to the comic fans and the men and women of the Armed Services and law enforcement community who Frank means so much to. Thank you to the USMC and all the wonderful soldiers who trained me. Go Hard. Be safe.”

Additionally actor Royce Johnson, who frequently appeared in Daredevil, Jessica Jones and The Punisher, spoke with Comicbook.com to share his thoughts on the future for these properties. Johnson commented, “Yeah, I’ve gotten… one call and two texts, saying, ‘It’s been a great journey.’ We had a nice phone call, a nice chat, saying, ‘Hopefully, we’ll meet again down the line.’ And it would be great if we could meet down the line as those same characters.”

“It would be great,” the actor continued. “I don’t think that Marvel is the type of company that will sit down and not revamp. It’s got something in store, so I’m wishing for the best with this.”

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SOURCES: Deadline, Instagram, Comicbook.com