casThe sequel to the latest Punisher movie apparently continues to move forward, despite the fact that the first one didn’t do that well. At least that’s what Thomas Jane is saying – and he’s feeling confident enough about the film that he’s been spending a lot of time in the gym.

"I’ve been in the gym for seven weeks now," Jane told Sci-Fi Wire. "I’ve already put on 12 pounds of muscle. They want to start going before the end of the year. Ideally I’d like to see the film come out in the fall of 2006, but I don’t have any control over that."

Let’s hope that he has some control over the script, which is still in limbo as far as I know. His ideas sound much more in line with what the first film should have been. "I would love to see The Punisher go more in the direction of a film like Taxi Driver. I’d like the audience to be able to visit the mind of this guy. The potential for The Punisher—especially when it comes to the real juicy stuff—should go more in the direction of a gritty, urban street drama like Taxi Driver rather than a glossy, fantasy direction like the X-Men [films]."

IE, less fucking Spacker Dave.