Netflix cancels Marvel's 'The Punisher' & 'Jessica Jones'

Netflix

With Disney gearing up to launch its own streaming service, it comes as no surprise that Netflix is letting go of the last two Marvel shows in its roster. The streaming service just announced that it is cancelling both The Punisher and Jessica Jones. The Punisher just finished its second season, while Jessica Jones has one more season coming out.

Netflix said in a statement, "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.”

Source: Variety

Marvel’s ‘The Punisher’ gets final trailer ahead of release

We’re just a few days shy from the release of the second season of The Punisher. And it looks just as bloody as ever. We hear more from friend-turned-foe Jigsaw (Ben Barnes) in this season as he seeks revenge against Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher (Jon Bernthal). He wants The Punisher “to feel what I felt.” Whether he makes good on that promise, we’ll probably find out in this season. What we still don’t know at this point is whether this show will come back for another season. Only time will tell. Marvel’s The Punisher will start streaming on January 18^th.

‘Luke Cage’ is the latest Netflix-Marvel TV show to get the boot

NetflixJust days after Iron Fist gets axed and four months after the show aired its second season, Luke Cage will not be getting a third season. Netflix and Marvel Television released a joint statement saying, “Unfortunately, ‘Marvel’s Luke Cage’ will not return for a third season. Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is grateful to the dedicated showrunner, writers, cast and crew who brought Harlem’s Hero to life for the past two seasons, and to all the fans who have supported the series.” According to Variety, talks for season three had taken place but Netflix “ultimately decided” it wasn’t going to be feasible.

This seems to be Netflix’s way of cutting ties with Marvel as its parent company Disney prepares to launch its own streaming services. Disney has previously announced it was going to let its licensing deals with Marvel expire before it moved its content to its own service. That move though wouldn’t have affected the Marvel TV shows as these were produced by Disney for Netflix. Now, how this will affect the remaining Marvel shows on Netflix is something we’ll probably see unfold in the coming months.

Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ gets axed after two seasons

NetflixAfter its first season gets critically panned and the second seeming to do better, Marvel’s Iron Fist won’t be coming back for a third season to redeem itself. Netflix and Marvel released a joint statement that the show will not be coming back for a third season. The statement said, “Marvel's Iron Fist will not return for a third season on Netflix. Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is proud of the series and grateful for all of the hard work from our incredible cast, crew and showrunners. We're thankful to the fans who have watched these two seasons, and for the partnership we've shared on this series. While the series on Netflix has ended, the immortal Iron Fist will live on.”

Iron Fist was part of a five-show deal between Marvel and Netflix that includes shows Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and The Defenders. The Punisher was later added to the lineup as a Daredevil spinoff. The cancellation comes on the heels of Disney planning to launch its direct-to-consumer streaming platform that will compete against Netflix. Disney has already announced its plans to pull all Marvel feature films from the streaming service but will keep the Marvel TV shows on until these run their course.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter