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Behind the Scenes: ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’

— by JOSUE SANCHEZ —

With every new year, I always wonder what will Nicolas Cage do next. I mean, the man is resilient. He is always working on one project after another and never stops. Some movies are better than others and some are just not good at all. But for the fans of this marathon man, it is exciting trying to keep up with him.

Some of his recent movies have not performed as well at the box office as had been hoped for. “Next,” for example, was definitely an ambitious project and I personally enjoyed it and even bought the DVD, but I must admit, it wasn’t a big hit, not at all. “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” has also become an online favorite, and there are multiple and endless debates about it, but it had limited release in theaters. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” opened to weak numbers here in the states, yet worldwide it has performed brilliantly.

Cage’s most-recent surprise hit at the box office was “Ghost Rider.” Perhaps it’s the comic book hero aspect of the film. Perhaps its because of the cool special effects, or because the beautiful Eva Mendes was in it, but the movie did great business world-wide. Don’t be fooled by those who call it a failure — it wasn’t … financially. As for the movie itself, some liked it, others mocked it. I was on neutral ground about it. There were lots of cool things about it, but, in the end, I didn’t feel it was original or unique enough. It was like too many of the comic book movies being released during those couple of years had the same plot.

But I guess it doesn’t surprise me that they are making, as you read this, a second “Ghost Rider.” I don’t call it a sequel because it is not supposed to be one. It is a reboot with the same star. What do you think about that?

In a recent interview with io9, Cage said the following about the reboot:

    I’m very excited about what we’re getting up to with Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, they are very original in terms of their film making. 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 Peeping Tom 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.

So, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” is going to blow us away – according to Cage. Of course, I know that in the end I will watch it. I’m too weak and a huge fan. If you would like to see Nic Cage in action, filming some scenes from “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” check out the clip below. It show the behind-the-scenes footage, and plenty of Nic Cage, if you need your daily dosage. He seems to be rehearsing and discussing a particular scene they are filming or about to film. Check it out, and also discuss your thought on all things Cage in the comments section.

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Follow Josue Sanchez on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Josue_can.