Nic Cage To Return As Ghost Rider In A Specific Marvel Project?
Nic Cage really is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood. Though most of his big-budget starring turns were of a bygone era, this dude just takes on an incredible amount of work. And he could be ramping up back into a major franchise sooner than later. There is major speculation that not only does Marvel want him folded into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they are “desperate” for him to return as Johnny Blaze/ Ghost Rider in the upcoming Spider-Man 3. Check out this tweet from Roger Norvell:
We already know that Kevin Feige and company over at Marvel have been seemingly working overtime to get old versions of characters up on the screen in the new iteration of the universe. A lot of that is coming through in both the upcoming Spider-Man 3 as well as the aforementioned Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Nic Cage could be the latest addition to the cast and would have him back up on the screen as the flaming head, Suzuki-riding quasi-demon antihero Ghost Rider. This would just be awesome and another welcome turn for a much-anticipated movie.
Nic Cage played Johnny Blaze in 2007’s Ghost Rider and again in the sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Neither film performed all that well with critics or at the box office. Combined, the films earned about $360 million on a roughly $185 million budget. By superhero movie standards, that’s a pittance and it’s easy to see why they didn’t continue on with the franchise. It wasn’t necessarily Nic Cage’s fault who, admittedly was rather Cage-y, in the film. But rather the story and some of the sequences left a lot to be desired.
A few years ago the Ghost Rider character reverted under the Sony Pictures umbrella and back to Marvel Studios. The latter hasn’t used him at all in any productions since, either waiting for the right time or failing to find the right story. This doesn’t mean Nic Cage will be the new face of an upcoming franchise for the studio, but rather just another homage to characters from the past. And in an ensemble cast, the actor could be a complete scene-stealer in the role. Again, the original movies’ failings really weren’t on the actor. His charm and arrogance played pretty well in the character.
Because this next Doctor Strange movie takes place in the multiverse the character optionality is nearly limitless and bringing guys like Nic Cage back in likely won’t require any heavy plot lifting. That’s the beauty of having this kind of plot device handy. It allows for maximum range in terms of casting, something fans absolutely love. And we are certainly going to see something along these lines in Spider-Man 3 which is apparently bringing back almost every character from those previous franchises.
Before he possibly comes back on screen in the Johnny Blaze/ Ghost Rider role, Nic Cage is set to take a little horror turn in the upcoming movie Willy’s Wonderland. In it, his character unwittingly stumbles into a Chuck E. Cheese from hell and he needs to dispatch with a number of demonic animatronics.
