Nicolas Cage’s “Ghost Rider 2″ is throttling up with two major casting updates: Ciaran Hinds (left, “The Eclipse”) is currently in negotiations to play the Devil in the comic book sequel, while Italian actress/singer Violante Placido (most recently in the George Clooney thriller “The American”) will play the female lead.
“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” finds cursed Johnny Blaze (Cage) hiding out in remote Eastern Europe and struggling to repress his curse, and no doubt doing it with utmost moodiness. His self-imposed exile is ruined when he’s recruited by a sect to take on the devil (Hinds), who wants to take over his mortal son’s body on the boy’s birthday. Placido (below) would play the boy’s mother.
“Crank” and “Gamer” boys Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor will direct from a script they wrote, based on a draft by comic book movie go-to guy David Goyer.
The original “Ghost Rider” got some pretty bad reviews when it flamed up onscreen in 2007, but it still went on to make $228 million worldwide, including over $100 million in DVD sales.
