Marvel Comics has definitely had a surge in the quality of their movies, but they still have had a couple of duds. What I don’t get is the company’s insistence on carrying through on follow-ups to those duds. Why did we need Elektra when Daredevil proved to be a weaker film? Why a Punisher sequel when the first one wasn’t all that great?
It appears that logic (whatever it may be) is carrying over to Ghost Rider, with a reported push on a sequel. Bloody Disgusting says that Columbia Pictures is moving forward, looking for someone to write Ghost Rider 2, which would feature the return of Nicolas Cage in the title role.
That last part surprises me a little. Look at Marvel’s history and see how frequently cast members have stuck around. No Ben Affleck cameo in Elektra (okay, there is a deleted scene, but that doesn’t count), a new Bruce Banner for the second Hulk, Ray Stevenson in for Thomas Jane in Punisher: War Journal, etc, etc. Then again, I guess Cage doesn’t really have much better to do. A sequel to a mediocre comic-book movie makes just as much sense as a completely new mediocre movie… and with Ghost Rider 2 we only have to put up with Nic’s freaky hairstyle (whatever it may be when the cameras roll) when his skull isn’t flaming.
I can’t imagine this being a guaranteed sequel. The first one just wasn’t well received enough to justify the expense, particularly in a time when studios are supposedly pulling back and tightening the purse strings. I guess we’ll see. Call me completely surprised if a screenwriter is announced in the near future though.
