Earlier this year, Jon Bernthal was given the opportunity to bring Frank Castle to the small screen and did so with a bang. Punisher was a standout in Daredevil season 2, which only posed the question of when Netflix would announce a spinoff series for the anti-hero. Netflix made that official in due time, with Steve Lightfood being named the showrunner for The Punisher. Even with an unconfirmed release date, recent events point to the series being further along in the development stages than was initially believed.

Should the rumored 2017 release date prove to be true, casting for the series should be well underway. Similarly to the recent report of Micro being a part of the cast, new audition videos seem to lend credence to that report and show more potential casting additions.

A series of audition videos have been posted on Vimeo that are all linked to The Punisher. Although there is no real evidence as to what characters the actors could be auditioning for, a member of the Marines appears to be the case for two of the videos. The first two videos below featuring James Frain -- of Gotham -- and Louis Herthum have similar dialogue, hinting at a mission, likely for Frank, to get Raheem Bonta. The third video is Peter Hulne auditioning for Dennis Landstrom, the reported code name for Micro.

Click Here to See The Punisher Audition Videos

It is not normal for these audition tapes to come out prior to someone getting the role. If Marvel and Netflix have decided on the actors to be involved in Frank's backstory with the Marines or who to cast as Micro, then hopefully an announcement is around the corner. Unfortunately for fans eager to find out more about the series, Marvel works at their own pace and will officially announce the casting when they are good and ready, even if it is reported before.

While it is safe to assume that the Marine officer being cast could likely be used in flashbacks, there is a possibility that he may have a role in present day events as well. If the latter is the case, this part of the script is likely set in the past unless Frank has taken it upon himself to shut down their operations or knows Raheem Bonta. Either way, we will have to wait and see what is in store until the series moves closer to release, but make sure to check out the videos now before they are potentially taken down.

Daredevil season 1 & 2 and Jessica Jones season 1 are now available on Netflix. Luke Cage season 1 will arrive on September 30th, 2016. The Defenders and Iron Fist arrive in 2017. Release dates for Jessica Jones season 2, The Punisher and Daredevil season 3 have not yet been announced.

Source: Vimeo (via CBM)