Netflix Cancels “The Punisher,” “Jessica Jones”
It’s official. A month on from the launch of the second season of “The Punisher,” Netflix has officially axed both it and “Jessica Jones” – its last two remaining Marvel series.
There will be no third season of “The Punisher,” while the yet-to-air third season of “Jessica Jones” arrives at a TBA 2019 date. The cancellation brings to a close the multi-series and multi-year agreement forged between Netflix and Marvel which was announced five years ago.
An official Netflix spokesman has issued a 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.”
The axings of “Iron Fist,” “Luke Cage” and “Daredevil” all came shortly after their most recent seasons went to air, so “The Punisher” cancellation was expected – that ‘Jones’ got it as well before the new season aired is a surprise.
All shows were produced by the Jeph Loeb-run Marvel TV which closed a similar four-series and one special arrangement, albeit in animated form, with the soon-to-be Disney majority owned Hulu the other week. Marvel Studios meanwhile is spearheading multiple shows for the Disney+ streaming service.
Whether any of these shows will be resurrected remains in question, though doubtful. Exclusivity contracts mean Netflix will own the rights to these takes for at least a few years to come and if the characters are to come back, reboots are more likely than revivals.
Loeb has also penned an open letter on
Marvel.com thanking fans for their love of the shows and teasing the future with the line: “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.”