Movies
Nicolas Cage Talks ‘Ghost Rider’ Sequel
While we reported that Nicolas Cage was officially cast to return as Johnny Blaze in Columbia Pictures’ Ghost Rider 2, it appears the star isn’t ready to lace up those flaming leather boots just yet. In a new interview with the actor, he reveals that the sequel to the smash-hit Marvel comic adaptation still needs some tweaking. Somebody needs to light a fire under their arses!
Nicolas Cage, who’s slated to reprise his 2007 “Ghost Rider” role as Johnny Blaze, told MTV News that a writer is currently being sought for the follow-up, something we revealed back in January.
The sequel, which could see the demonic biker battling evil in Europe alongside the Catholic Church is still in its infancy, meaning a director is also needed before flaming tires hit the pavement again. Though Mark Steven Johnson, co-writer and director of “Daredevil” and the first “Ghost Rider” film, seems like a reasonable candidate for either role with the sequel, Cage said nothing’s been decided so far.
“Everyone is very busy. I know Mark has his own thing going on,” Cage told MTV, “It’s up to the studio. It’s really in their hands.”
When asked which elements the sequel should include, Cage spoke tentatively given the early stage of “Ghost Rider 2″ development. He did, however, point out the importance of some signature Ghost Rider themes.
“It has to have that action horror element and go deeper into that if it were to happen and [it should] keep us asking questions. Keep it interesting on a philosophical level,” said Cage.
Fangoria Studios and Panick Studios are turning horror comic Black Diamond into a film, and Variety reports that Ernest Dickerson (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight) will direct.
Black Diamond comic book creator Brendan Columbus will write the screenplay.
Black Diamond follows Owen and Victoria Welch on a family ski trip that spirals into a nightmare. When their son is abducted by a mysterious cult, the couple is pushed to the brink and faced with a soul-crushing ultimatum: sacrifice another child or lose their own forever.
The comic book series from Panick Entertainment is described as a “chilling folk horror thriller blending Hitchcockian psychological tension with the dread of The Wicker Man.”
“Black Diamond was my attempt to put everything I love about thrillers on the page,” Columbus tells Variety. “I want to make sure it feels like you physically can’t leave the theater or else you’ll miss the next twist or turn. With his masterful cinematic eye and his great story sense, Ernest is going to scare the hell out of everyone with this one.”
“Black Diamond immediately grabbed me because its horror is rooted in impossible human choices,” says Dickerson. “It taps into parental fear, morality, isolation, and survival in a way that is so unsettling and emotionally real. That combination will make for a very suspenseful and exciting cinematic experience.”
Ernest Dickerson is directing and executive producing the feature film. Black Diamond will notably be Ernest Dickerson’s first feature film as director since Double Play in 2017, though he has in more recent years been directing for an impressive string of television shows including “The Man in the High Castle,” “The Purge,” “Raised by Wolves,” “Bosch,” and “DMZ.”
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