Nicolas Cage Says Spirit of Vengeance Is "Not Even Connected" to Original Ghost Rider Movie
Posted 12.01.10 by BrentJS
We've heard from Nicolas Cage several times before about how the tone of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance will be different than Ghost Rider. Now the Academy Award-winning actor has revealed even more differences between the two movies. Way back in April, Cage, who wasn't even a lock to reprise the role of Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider, at that time because the movie had yet to be officially greenlit, said that the Spirit of Vengeance script by the writing and directing team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank) was "darker, harder," and "more international" than the original movie, which he likened to a Disney-produced version of Faust. In a recent interview with io9 to promote his long-delayed supernatural movie, Season of the Witch, Cage said that not only is the tone different, but Spirit of Vengeance is actually more of a reboot than a sequel, calling it "a completely different film" and saying that it is "not even connected" to Ghost Rider.
This one is completely re-conceived, it's not even connected to the first one, it's a different origin sequence. But I think it will be a brand new experience. It has more adrenaline involved in the film making process itself, and in the movie when you see it. Again, I think the stuff we're able to get into with Ghost Rider is going to be a lot more abstract and not like anything you've seen before. So I'm very excited by it.
The tone is different and the origin of Ghost Rider is different, so does that mean we can expect a different version of Johnny Blaze, as well? According to Cage, yes, Johnny Blaze in Spirit of Vengeance has a different outlook on his "condition" than he had in the first movie.
He's become a lot more sarcastic, now that his head has been ignited. Unlike the first one where he was trying to keep it at bay. Now he's been living with the Ghost Rider for some time, there's a lot more irony with the character. His outlook isn't as quite naive as it once was.
Cage also said that he is "very excited" to be working with directors Neveldine and Taylor, calling them "very original" filmmakers.
Mark is doing things I've never seen a director do before — filming on roller blades, hanging on wires — it's like a stunt man, camera operator and director all in one. Brian Taylor is really so knowledgeable about film. In the same conversation, in the same sentence even, I can talk about Michael Powell's Alexander and then go into Ishirô Honda's The War of the Gargantuas. He's the reason why I'm playing the Ghost Rider as well. He really was an advocate of that, and inspired me to take that on. As a result of that we're getting into some really abstract stuff that I think will mess with people's minds. I'm really looking forward to it.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is currently filming in Romania. Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba, Violante Placido, and Johnny Whitworth also star.
Next Showing: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance opens February 17, 2012