Movies
Nicolas Cage’s ‘Ghost Rider’ Skull Flames Out
After nearing financial ruin, star Nicolas Cage appeared to say “yes” to any movie that was offered to him. Some hit, some miss, but the market appeared to be over saturated with the multi-talented actor. So, it comes as a shock that Cage won’t be returning to the Ghost Rider franchise, which resulted in the 2007 adaptation of the Marvel comic, as well as its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
“Personally, I’m done,” he told MTV. “I’ve done what I had to do with that part. You never say never, but right now, today, I would say that I’m done.”
He’s at least proud of the film, predicated you believe success is based on dollars. “Contrary to whatever the perception is, that was an enormously successful movie,” he said. “We made it for, like, $47 or $48 million dollars, and it approached $200 million. I view that as a success. I think people need to know we did that on a shoestring budget. When you look at it that way you see the enormous talent of Mark Neveldine and Bryan Taylor, that they were able to accomplish that.”
The movie still sucks, dude.
Although he did end on a smart note: “It would be interesting if they did it with a female Ghost Rider.”
We end with the question: could Cage finally be in a good place, or has his contract just ended? Most lead actors are signed on for a film’s sequel, if not multiple sequels. His exit may not be his choice, but it’s the right choice.
It’s been sixteen years since Freddy Krueger was last seen in the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot movie starring Jackie Earle Haley, with complicated rights issues playing a role in the franchise’s complete and total silence over the past several years. Today, that silence ends.
According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter this afternoon, “Paramount Pictures has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to the original screenplay of A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Paramount’s genre label Paramount Primal is behind the upcoming franchise reboot.
THR explains in further detail, “The U.S. rights are being licensed from the Craven estate, which includes Craven’s widow Iya Labunka and Craven’s son Jonathan Craven. The duo will produce the new iteration with Marc Toberoff, the attorney-turned-producer who specializes in copyright law. J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules will executive produce for Paramount Primal.”
“We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans,” Iya Labunka said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon. We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre – around the campfire of today – as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.”
“We can’t remember a time before we were fans of Wes Craven,” said Lifshitz and Margules. “The fact that Iya and Jonathan have entrusted us with this opportunity to help usher a new story into this world is an honor beyond words. We look forward to working alongside them to bring a terrifying new nightmare to audiences everywhere, and to welcome Freddy home.”
The Elm Street franchise had of course previously had a home at New Line Cinema/Warner Bros., but the Craven Estate was able to regain the rights to the original screenplay. THR notes, “New Line retains the international rights to Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Freddy Krueger’s upcoming return is said to be “set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street, based on the original screenplay.” No further details are available at this time.
Will Robert Englund be returning one more time? Stay tuned for updates.
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