The sequel to Ghost Rider is going to happen. Just deal with the reality and move on. You can whine all you want about how poorly done the first one was, in acting, script and direction, but that won’t change the fact the Ghost Rider 2 is on its way like a flame- skulled demon riding a motorcycle. All that fan boys can hope for now is a faithful retelling of the popular second tier Marvel/Disney property. I’m just hoping for a story that doesn’t include a flaming skeleton horse.
Last month, David Goyer (Super Max, FlashForward), who is producing his half a score old script (that’s ten years for you non-math majors), talked about his story a bit and confirmed he was attached to the project. Today, MTV has an interview with Goyer and addressed concerns about the sequel pulling off a PG-13 rating. So will it or won’t it be a reboot?
"It's not exactly a reboot. I hate to say it's more realistic, because he's got a flaming skull for a head, but it's a bit more stripped down and darker. It's definitely changing tone. What Casino Royale was to the Bond movies, hopefully this will be to Ghost Rider."
Well that wasn’t vague in the least. Is that a duck David? “Not exactly a duck.” Well I see two feet, feathers, a bill and it’s quacking. You sure it’s not a duck David? “Not exactly a duck.” Wait, what?
I’m nitpicking with words, but it does appear that the story is not “exactly” a reboot. Goyer says the story “will pick up 8 years after the first film” and that the character is “in a much darker, existential place." One thing Goyer is doing with the Ghost Rider sequel is making it a standalone film; it reminds me of how The Hulk reboot was done. Same characters involved and instead of redoing an entire origin story, just briefly touching upon it to help show how the character gets from the previous story to the current one. It’s a good approach.
“You don't have to have seen the first film. It doesn't contradict anything that happened in the first film, but we're pretending that our audience hasn't seen the first film. It's as if you took that same character where things ended in the first film and then picked it up eight years later.”
I wonder if they could make the second film feel as if I had NEVER seen the first film? There are still a few question marks concerning this project: What is a “dark” PG-13 film? What does he mean by “existential place”? How close does he plan to stay to his original script? Goyer answers that last question below:
"My script is out there on the Internet. We're not changing much from it. It'll be significantly the same script."
Nic Cage is still attached to play Johnny Blaze/ Ghost Rider but the new tone and thought provoking direction of the sequel has me concerned we could see a lot of images like the one below.
According to Goyer, Ghost Rider 2 is set to “roll before cameras next year” which means a release date of 2011 isn’t out of the question. Before that happens though, they’ll need to pick up a director.
Did David Goyer settle any of your concerns about the PG-13 rating or fears about a reboot for Ghost Rider 2?
Ghost Rider 2 has no official release date or title, but I hope it doesn’t have the words “Rides Again” in it.
Source: MTV Splash Page