I’ve put out the word for further confirmation from our staff—against terrible odds of hangovers and lipstick shenanigans—but a rumor is quickly circulating that Lionsgate/Marvel has kicked director Lexi Alexander off Punisher: War Zone. The film, which opens this December, is finished filming but apparently HUGE creative differences arose over…final cut? There’s a lot of speculation going around. Over at AICN, Knowles says the film’s composer is off the project as well, and Lionsgate is now transplanting the score with shitty heavy metal—as we suffered through yesterday while watching the rather kickass and ultra violent footage from Comic-Con.

Apparently Alexander’s candid potty mouth is contractually wired shut for the time being. Producer Gale Anne Hurd even announced that Alexander was on her “honeymoon” yesterday at a CC panel. Hah! Worth noting: Punisher: War Zone is probably the last R-rated film for a Marvel character we’ll see for sometime. I know that many of our readers were and remain highly skeptical of this flick, but my take is that it looks like unapologetic fun, a nice option for a double feature with Rambo or Commando. It’s also welcome—too welcome for 2008—to hear a female director speak her mind and take on the action genre. Oh, well. More as it develops….