Exclusive: Nicolas Cage In Talks To Return As Ghost Rider In Secret Wars
According to our trusted and proven sources, Nicolas Cage is being courted to return as Ghost Rider in Secret Wars.
It has taken years, but Marvel Studios has finally managed to get itself in the position to do basically anything it wants. The Disney acquisition of 20th Century Fox finally allowed them to utilize both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Dramatic negotiations and the eventual acknowledgment of mutual self-interest got them access to Spider-Man, as well as Venom and regrettably, Morbius. Finally, the introduction of the Multiverse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper basically gave them full license to do whatever they like with any existing characters, living, dead, or something in between. Speaking of which, our trusted and proven sources have told us that Nicolas Cage is currently being courted to return to the role of Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider himself. Not only that, but if they manage to lock him down, it is to appear in the upcoming Secret Wars event.
Nicolas Cage first appeared as Ghost Rider in the 2007 film of the same name, which was produced by Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures (the same as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy). While the film was not critically well-received (to say the least), it was a big enough commercial hit to greenlight Nicolas Cage reprising the role in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. There were diminishing box office returns and combined with the disappointing performances of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Drive Angry, and Season of the Witch, it led to a long period of direct-to-DVD action thrillers for the actor.
However, Nicolas Cage is currently back on top, critically and potentially commercially. He was highly acclaimed for performing the role he was born to play (himself) in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and has a number of interesting projects ahead, including one in which he plays a red velvet-clad Dracula opposite Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield. Best of all, Nicolas Cage is apparently open to reprising the part of Ghost Rider. He was heavily rumored to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and while he ultimately did not show up, that just leaves room for him in Secret Wars.
We have previously reported that The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus has covertly been cast to play some version of the Spirit of Vengeance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the aforementioned Multiverse makes it certain that not only will Secret Wars involve some new and old characters, but different versions of some of the same. It is entirely possible that we will see the Nicolas Cage version of Ghost Rider, the Norman Reedus version (Danny Ketch, maybe?), and maybe even Gabriel Luna as the Robbie Reyes version from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show up to battle it out during Secret Wars.
For now, we just have to hope negotiations go well and Marvel Studios does figure out a way to get Nicolas Cage back as Ghost Rider. After all, the esteemed actor actually named himself after a comic book character and named his son after Superman, so it probably won’t take too much to get him on board.
