2007’s Ghost Rider opened to $45 million (clinching the coveted “President’s Day 4-Day Holiday Weekend” #1 record), and ended up grossing just north of $115 million total in the states- this is to say that while it didn’t knock anyone’s dick off, the franchise showed promise. There has been slow movement on a sequel -currently subtitled Spirit of Vengeance– and Frosty over at Collider recently caught up with producer Mike De Luca and found out a number of details about the sequel.
David Goyer is behind the script on this one (based on a draft he wrote in 2001) though he is, get this… “incorporating kind of an original idea of Nic’s.”
The interview reveals even more information about the sequel- Mark Steven Johnson and Eva Mendes will both be absent this time around, the action will take the Rider to Europe, 3D may happen*, and Goyer may end up behind the camera if his schedule serves.
De Luca mentions their intentions to do this one cheaper than the original, and that makes sense. The first film made just enough that if they can drop the budget some and keep the grosses level, Nic Cage can keep his personal playground going.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance could make it into theaters in 2011, if they manage to roll on it this year.
Check out the original interview for more small details.
*I need to create a keyboard macro for this phrase.