ASK MSJ (The Complete History)

[MSJ]

G’day from Australia. Sorry I haven’t checked in for a while, but needless to say I’ve been busy! Read some of your questions you were hoping to have answered the other night and wanted to respond personally.

Here we go...

There has been a great deal of concern over the rating of PG 13 for the film. As a result there have been many fans who feel that Ghost Rider will end up being a watered down kiddie film. It has been expressed that the only way to do the character justice is to go for an R rating where the film can be allowed to be as violent and gory as necessary.

Can you assure the fans that you will stay true to the character and keep the film as dark and violent as the comic book was? Are you planning on pushing the limits of a PG 13 rating as far as the violence and subject matter goes?


Yes. Ghost Rider is inherently a darker character and that will be reflected in the movie. However, if you look, there was actually very little R-rated violence in the original Ghost Rider, just darker themes. I think that gore too often replaces suspense in horror movies and takes you out of a movie. “Jaws” is one of my favorite films of all time, and it’s rated PG. Likewise, “Lord of the Rings” had plenty of kick ass action and violence for a PG-13 movie. It’s really about being clever and pushing the boundaries. But as with all of these movies, it's really about love, isn't it? Whether you're talking about Terminator 2 or Lord of The Rings or Spider-man it's about love of a girl or love of a friend, etc. and if that doesn't work then all of the bad ass action and awesome effects mean nothing.


You have mentioned that you were a long time fan of the character. When did you first read Ghost Rider and are there any stories/plotlines that are your favorites?

I’ve been reading since I was about 11 years old. It’s interesting, because I love the original Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider, yet the most memorable story lines for me were later with Danny Ketch. I would probably have to say the J.B. origin story would be at the top, followed by the Blackheart and Scarecrow story lines of the D.K. years. Remember the one where Scarecrow had abducted people and chained them up along the walls of his hideout to feed off of their fear? That was pretty fantastic.


My first question is in regards to the design of the title character. Will we see ol' Flamehead (the real one) as we all know and love or is there a new rendition that we'll have to get used too? This includes the question of whether or not you'll be using ideas from both versions of Ghost Rider.

I’m thinking red leather with horns would be interesting. Just kidding. This will be Ghost Rider from the comic -- dead on. As we all know, the comic doesn’t exist at the moment (that will change...) so the reason this character has survived is because it’s the coolest looking character in the Marvel Universe.


Secondly; What about his bike? Any comments on what that will look like and be able to do?

Now that IS something to be improved upon. I never completely was sold on Johnny or Danny’s Hellcycle designs. And I DO believe that the one we’ve come up with is the coolest looking thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m looking at a four foot long illuminated model of it right now as I write this. Go ahead. Hate me.


Last; Will Dan Ketch make an appearance in this film?

No. One of the problems with the history of the comic is that there was too much mythology, too damn confusing trying to tie everyone up (all the way back to Noble Kale!). I wanted to get rid of that and tell the best J.B. story possible.


Will you be making a sequel to Daredevil even if Ben Affleck decides not to return to the part?

Daredevil is an amazing character and bigger than any one actor. I would love to do another one. If the Elektra spin-off does well, I could certainly see that happening.


Will you be using prosthetics or all CGI for Ghost Rider and Mephisto?

It will be a combination of things to bring these characters to life. What’s most important is that we give G.R. weight, even when he’s riding up a skyscraper or along a wall. He can’t feel light, or like CGI, he’s heavy metal. Like the Terminator. And he leaves total devastation and destruction in his path.


Will the scene of Gost Rider riding his bike up the side of a skyscraper and then jumping through a helicopter mentioned by Avi Arad in Empire Magazine be in the movie.

It’s actually gotten way cooler than that! I’m dying to share everything with you, but I can’t. Sorry. But safe to say there are things in the film you’ve never seen before.


Hoew much of the action will Nic Cage need to be in costume for

Most of it. Nic wants it and so do I.


What powers will GR use, Pennance Stare, or Hellfire blasts? Will he utilize his chain at all?

All of that!


In the comics johnny blaze made a deal with satan himself to save roxanne simpsons life. later it was retconned to mephisto which will it be in the movie? also in another gr thread the question was brought up about the name johnny BLAZE being merely a stage name and not his real name will that be the case in the movie?

Actually, Johnny made the deal to save Crash Simpson in the comic. In our movie Johnny will make a deal with Mephistopheles (or Mephisto) who is originally from “Faust” and is considered to be either The Devil or A Devil depending on which mythology you subscribe to.

Johnny is only known as Johnny Blaze -- my belief is that it was probably a stage name created by his father, no different than Doug Danger or Maxx Air (both real life cycle jumpers) but we will never know him as anything other than Johnny Blaze in the movie.


I've heard Australia has some beautiful scenery and can make for some really elegant shots, especially at night when the sun has just gone down... so will there be any shots / scenes utilizing the background such as an old wrecked bar on the outskirts of town like the ones in old western movies... a run down cemetary passing by in the distance to give sort of an eerie feeling... So.. how will the background and surroundings be utilized in the effect / feeling of the film?


You’re dead on. It’s gorgeous here, both in the city and in the outback. The feel of the movie is that of a supernatural western and it should be amazing. We’re shooting where they shot Mad Max and I love the spare feel of that, the saloon in the outskirts of town...the run down cemetery -- wait, are you reading my script?


Ghost Rider is a demonic type character who inflicts vengeance on those who have done wrong to others.. how will you demonstrate this in the film, and what kind of effects will you use for the penance stare (I hope it makes an appearance in the film), and GR inflicting mental torture on his victims?

Working on that right now. Very cool and amazing stuff. It works best to show it as an abstract rather than as a literal recreation of someone’s sins. How have your sins made others feel? And how can that visually be revisited on you -- tenfold?


There have been a few polls on this message board about Ghost Rider's motorcycle, whether it is a Harley Davidson chopper look or a more modern sports bike, or the Ghost Rider bike that is often seen included with many of the action figures, with the front piece?

Johnny’s bike is an old school, bad ass CHOPPER which transforms into the Hellcycle. I love toys and actions figures and this is honestly the coolest thing that I’ve ever seen.


Jon Voight was, in my opinion, a great choice for the role of a puppet master satan type character who has pawns doing his dirty work (such was his role in "Enemy of the State"). What made you give Voight "the boot" and decide on another actor, whoever that may be?

I also think that Jon Voight is an amazing actor. But anything you’ve heard either way about his involvement in the movie is false. Jon’s a producer on the movie and I think people assumed he was in it as well. We’d be lucky to have him in the film, but I don’t know if there is a part big enough for him right now.


I personally am I huge fan of Nic Cage and think he is perfect for the role, but what attributes do you think he has over a younger actor to portray Johnny Blaze. Many people on message boards I've visited have said "Nic Cage is too old" and "Johnny Depp" or "Keifer Sutherland" should've got the role... but what made Nic different.. and Blaze-like?

Nic is the man for this. He eats, breathes, and sleeps it. He even has a huge Ghost Rider flaming skull tatoo on his shoulder! I love the idea of playing Johnny as a kind of cowboy -- he’s like the Man with No Name. Nic can be super badass and at the same time he has a great sense of humor and heart. And, of course, he’s the master of doing the unexpected. All great qualities for both Johnny Blaze and the Ghost Rider.


I was a fan of DareDevil (of the comics, and the movie) and love the mystery feeling of the movie and how he was in the dark and the reflection of pain and misery throughout his life which made him the man he was seeking justice for the wrong doers. Do you think Ghost Rider is, in effect, a similar type character in the fact he is quite the mystery to many of his enemies and how he seeks the right in people, and punishes those who don't.

It’s interesting, because although Ghost Rider seems like a darker character than Matt Murdock, is some ways, he’s more hopeful because he has someone who loves him, someone to fight for. What made Matt such a tragic character is that he wasn’t sure that he was doing the right thing, if he was in fact becoming no better than the Kingpin himself (and in the comics this year he literally became the “Kingpin”). Johnny has a clear battle in that he’s fighting true evil -- right from the source. So in that way he has a clearer purpose and sense of self than Matt did.

And Biggun, are you reading my screenplay? It’s eerie how close your ideas are to what I wrote in the script!!

Hope that’s helpful!

MSJ

[sithgoblin]

I'll be dammed :eek:

[citizen_d]

G'day all,

I was lucky enough to be at the ACMI "In Conversation with Ghost Rider", and although I'm not a longtime GR fan like most here, I have been a fan of the art form for over 15 years (a big Frank Miller fan, and loved Tex's art which is what drew mne to GR many years ago), and am a movie buff and I'd just like to say that Mark came across as a passionate fan and movie maker, and a really switched on guy - what we would call 'a top bloke' in Australia - and that this movie is in very good hands.

Mark, did you get a chance to check out the outer North Western suburb of Sunbury, or more importantly the Calder Freeway? This is also where some of Mad Max was filmed although the area has been built up quite a bit since then. The two lane highway you saw in Mad Max is now a four lane freeway, though still surrounded by that dry, desert look for much of it and would make for some great open highway chase scenes. I'm also surprised you didn't go with Calder Park for the stadium scenes which could easily be made to have the-big-stadium-on-the-fringes-of-the-desert-town look.

Either way welcome to Melbourne. I'm sure you'll find the whole city more than willing to help you bring this film to life and I know I'll be looking out for the call for extras so that I can hopefully have a little part in comic book to film history.

Cheers,

D

[FlameHead]

I'm completely blown away. This was the last thing I expected to read when logging on this morning. I feel giddy, like a little schoolgirl... even though I'm a grown man. I'll check in on that.

First off, thanks for responding to our questions. We never expected them to get answered and was mearly posting them in hopes that someone would see it and ask the questions at the conference. It's crazy that we get them answered directly.

If everything turns out the way you've described it here, I think we're all going to be blown away. I'm very excited to see this character come to life and am now convinced the team you've put together will succeed admirably. You've also reversed my thoughts on Nic for the role. I'm not sure what was blinding me but he truly is perfect. He's a fan and a you gotta trust a fan. Plus, now that I'm over the fact that it's not Dan Ketch I realize Nic is Blaze.

I can't wait until the others come on. I'll be back. Thanks again.

[BIGGUN]

Wow...just wow.
thanks for answering our questions Mark....guess that thread was a good idea after all! heh
soooo happy its gonna be a chopper...at least for some in the movie. sounds like you dig the action figure thing like many of us. very very cool
and again thanks for responding to my PG13 question...you proved my point about it not having to go for an R rating. it would have been nice and probably easier....but i think you can do it :)

reading your script? moi?....ok ok....i have to admit finally that after many many years ive develped the power of ESP. you caught me...heh
regardless if any of our ideas/scenes make it into the movie...THANK YOU!!!
maybe you could call the bar instead of "Tex's Bar and Grill"...call it "BIGGUN's Topless Bar and Grill", :)

[Lobo]

I'll be dammed :eek:

thanks Mark :up:

[Hunter Rider]

I was in a state of total shock when i saw this threadhttp://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif
I had to check i wasn't halucinating.
I thought you did a great job with DD (a movie for fans) but after this my respect for you has just went through the roof.http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif
I can't think of any other director ever doing this,you treat the fans with respect because your a fan yourself and thats the same reason come 2006 you will prove any doubters wrong when you produce the ultimate GR movie.
You answered all my Q's that i thought would remain unanswered till 2006.
Like the fact you have something even bigger than the Sky scraper scene Avi arad described.Also pleased that Nic cage is up for the stunts and is going to be in the costume.http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif
THANKS again roll on 2006http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/ghostrider.gif

[The Lumberjack]

This was completely unexpected. I think it shows true dedication and respect to the fans when you pop in here answer our questions. I wasn't really worried about Nic Cage as Blaze, but the PG-13 thing did worry me. Your explanation seems to clear things up, for me at least, and I now actually have full confidence in you. The scene w/ the helicopter sounds amazing and the fact that it's a CHOPPER and not a pussy-ass little crotch-rocket makes me even more comfortable.

[The Incredible Hulk]

awesome job Mark! Keep up the good work! :up: Cant wait to see this thing... :ghost:

[TheBatman1979]

I'm still skeptical. I hated what happened to Daredevil and I'll save my judgement on this film till it's out.

[Rob Al Ghul]

:ghost: Awesome! :o

[marcus11]

No one else in Hollywood today would do something like this. Thank you Mark, it is clear that you truely care about the fans opinions.

[reallyoldspideyfan]

Hello,

I always challenge comic/comic-movie fans to ask their girlfriends/wives (who know nothing about the comics) what comic movie they liked the best. Sometimes, as fans of the comic books, we understand the mythology so well that certain scenes (ie: Professor X controlling Sabertooth/Toad in X-Men) make perfect sense to us and little sense to the general movie going public.

My fiancee still likes DAREDEVIL the best w/ X-Men 2 coming in a close second. She said it was more real life, explaned his powers and limitations clearly, has a style the other movies did not have. She also really liked THE PUNISHER...which she said was better than SPIDER-MAN II. As a long-time Spider-man collector, I loved the movie because it centered on Peter and his inner-conflicts. She thought that aspect went on too long, MJ was a whinner, and the movie dragged at times. DAREDEVIL, on the other hand (in her own words), moved quickly, had good action, a good female counterpart, good humor, and good, over the top villains.

Mark seems to get this and tells a story that is faithful to the comics to the fullest extent you can. He adds a Hollywood visual style and music that normal movie lovers can enjoy.

Mark: thanks for taking the time to speak to the fans. Daredevil still remains my third favorite comic book movie (Spider-man II, X-Men II). Make the sequel.

DN

[WildChild]

Thats awsome! Much Respect MSJ for posting ,Can't wait to see Flame head on screen.

[Lord Blackbolt]

I love DD....The hell with all the nagging fanboys that nitpick every single frame. Can't wait for the Directors Cut.

[Lobo]

I love DD....The hell with all the nagging fanboys that nitpick every single frame. Can't wait for the Directors Cut.

Ditto and now I'm really lloking forward to :ghost:

[Isildur´s Heir]

It´s cool that MSJ took the time to answer some questions, but i don´t understand why you guys are so hyped about?

He didn´t gave any answer to the most important question of all, what is his vision for the character.
Does he want to make a dark and serious movie, does he want to make nothing more than an action piece, does he want to make a popcorn movie, does he want to make it an epic summer blockbuster.......
To say that it will not be a R-rated movie, but rather a PG-13 doesn´t cut it.

I´m not the biggest fan of the daredevil movie, mainly because he made the worst mistake one can make in a comic book movie, MSJ wanted to tell 20 years of the character in less than 120 minutes, and he ended with a flat movie because of that.
Matt, Daredevil, Bullseye, Kingpin, Elektra.....it was too much to tell in 102 minutes.
It ended being a movie made by a fan for fans, which is a really bad deal, because you can´t make a movie and expect the fans to fill in the blanks.
For exemple, you have two scenes with Elektra, and the second one is where they kiss and you have that sex scene......is all too soon, you don´t care for the characters or their relationship at that point.
But, MSJ expected the fans to fill in the blanks, because we know that they took a long time to develop that relationship, so, we, the fans, understand that.
The same goes to when Nikolas Natchios dies....
Between his death and Elektra´s death you have 20 minutes of movie time, in the middle of that, you have Elektra´s grief and decision to avenge her father and showing the the audience that she is somekind of ninja.
Once again, is all to quick, too much information in too little time....and the fans need to fill in the blanks once more.
But enough of DD....

This kind of problems will not happen in GR, i´m sure, basically because Ghost Rider doesn´t have that kind of rich world that Daredevil has.
It´s a much more contained universe than Matt Murdoch´s one.
But still, i´m very apprehensive for this movie....

PS - I still don´t get why Nicholas Cage was cast as Blaze :confused:
He is a wonderful actor, one of my favorites, but he is just wrong for the part....as much as he was for Superman.

[Spidey-Quad]

I agree Blackbolt, in some ways DD was the "perfect" comicbook movie. I mean that as in the example of a movie playing out just like a comicbook. The more I see it the more I like it, and I too am desperately awaiting the Directors Cut to see the "whole" deal!

[Spidey-Quad]

With all do respect Strider, you should stick to middle earth ;)

[YJ1]

[QUOTE=hunter rider]
I thought you did a great job with DD (a movie for fans) but after this my respect for you has just went through the roof.[QUOTE]

YES! I really enjoyed DD and (after reading this) I can't wait for Ghost Rider. I've never really read Ghost Rider but enjoyed him in the Champions and some cross over stuff. So, I can guarantee that I'll have friends and family lined up to see this one on opening day. This project went from off my radar to something I'll have to follow closely now.

[Paradoxium]

According to David Goyer at his message board he said (quote)

8) Someone asked about Ghost Rider. Mark Steven Johnson, of the Daredevil film is writing and directing. I wrote an R-rated draft that Stephen Norrington was going to direct. It might have been too dark. It was pretty dark. Darker than Blade. I think the studio decided to tone it down and we ultimately parted ways. I believe some elements of my original script are still in the draft they are using. We'll have to see. The Marvel guys seem very happy with the current direction, so that's cool...

Later,

DSG

Without spilling too much, did you incorporate any of the ideas David had for the film?

Did you reduce the violence, whilst not diminishing its dark characterization?

[MarvelMovies]

WOO HOO!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH MSJ FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS!!

Mr. Johnson is definitely the guy I want directing this movie!!

[Dr.Dude]

I'm starting to love MSJ. http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif Thanks for answering all the questions and giving all the info, dude---can't wait to see this movie. http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/smilies/cool.gif

[ultimatefan]

Whatever you thought of Daredevil, no writer and director has been more in touch and friendly with the fandom than MSJ. I´m looking forward to seeing the DD director´s cut, I been hearing it´s quite an improvement and this really looks like one of these cases where the director made a much better movie that the studio went and chopped off to give it a fast music video pacing.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Too be honest I didn't like Daredevil..but I am looking forward to the Director's Cut to see if it has gotten any better...I think you (MSJ) did the right things but with the wrong characters. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with Ghost Rider because this seems like more of the character to go along with your style. Keep us updated man I am getting more and more excited with every bit of news I am hearing for this film. One small question I have is about Mysterio...what are the chances of seeing him if Daredevil 2 gets the greenlight?

[Saint]

I declare myself hopeful for Ghost Rider.

[Master Kenobi]

I'm was wondering if we'll be able to see detailed expressions on Johnny's face once he's Ghost Rider?

(Since he'll be CGI will it be Nic Cages expressions we see?)

[riotgirl77]

thanks for responding Mark...man now I wanna see Nic Cage's Ghost Rider tatoo!!!!!

[MarvelMovies]

Master Kenobi..

Nope..

MSJ has stated that there will be no "Ghost Blaze" as he was called in the Goyer script.. where you saw Nic Cage's expressions through the skull or something like that..

[mordennight]

Well reading that big thing from MSJ was quite the relief. The movie sounds much better than I had originally anticipated.

I too was one of the sceptics about the PG 13 rating... however... what the hey! Let's just see what we see.
:ghost:

Here's hoping you wow us MSJ.

[CaptainStacy]

Mark; thanks for the info on GR's powers!

can't wait to see what you come up with for this movie!

[TheWraithFD]

I was extremely disappointed with DD. I thought it was badly cast, poorly written and sloppily directed. I appreciate MSJ coming here and giving us an update though. I certainly hope he's learned from his mistakes on DD and applies them to GR.

[DANZIGG]

No way a Director who actually cares and responds to fan's questions. MSJ did a bang up job on DD and i can't wait to see Ghost Rider i only hope it's more for the fans and true to the mythos, rather than a merchandise driven "Happy Meal" film.

[The Kryptonian]

I have to admit, MSJ directing this film is sounding more and more positive than before. I have to say, DD wasn't what I wanted to see, but I think he's gonna make that up with Ghost Rider.

I'm really looking forward to this movie. :ghost:

[Aquinnah]

Wow, MSJ. You are soooo cool. Great info. Ghost Rider will rock!

signed,

Mark Steven Johnson

[Traveller]

Thank you for everything, MSJ! You care for the fans and you are a fan and it's that count really. I'm waiting this movie some years now and I know you can do it right.
I loved DD, too but I wait Ghost Rider at most. I only waited Spider-Man better.
I heard for a scene some years ago I wonder is it in yet?
Ghost Rider's riding on the road and the windows break out everywhere! It's a powerful scene I hope it will in the movie.

[Platypusplaya]

Mr. Johnson... you can impregnate my future wife

[Platypusplaya]

by the way you rock for actually talking to the fans unlike some other bigwigs *cough*RAIMI*cough*

[zer00]

Sweet. I'm evem more excited now:up:

Thanks Mark

[T1000416]

It was good to find out that you answered some questions Mark. I can't wait till Ghost Rider comes.

[Pickle-El]

Superherohype, could you visit the SUperman boards please......we've got a live one there....thanks.

[KAZUYA]

Hey Mark great job on Dare Devil cant wait 4 this flick,, My best friends is a huge fan of GR and he is so Hyped anywho I think Karl Urban would be a good choice. Please god no Nic or Keifer:(

[MutantCircus]

Wait a sec, there was another Ghost Rider besides Johnny Blaze? Pardon my ignorance, I'm not a long-time Ghost Rider fan and only know enough about him to know how much he rocks. I've also got at least a dozen Spider-Man/Ghost Rider team-up comics.

[bannerfan]

Hey Mark you need any free labor for the film?

[badash55]

"he’s heavy metal. Like the Terminator. And he leaves total devastation and destruction in his path."


Thats exactly what I wanted to hear about Ghost Rider :D

Its cool that you took the time off to answer questions. I wish you (and nic cage) the best of luck on Ghost Rider. Go nuts!

[WeaponZ2]

Wait was that the real him..........like really him...........if so WOW!

[BIGGUN]

Yup....looks like it.
he already has given us news about the movie (ex. Mephisto and Blackheart as villains) before it was announced officialy.
also i believe SHH confirmed it was him some time ago as well....

[FVD]

Thanks for the info MSJ. It sounds like Ghost Rider is gonna be a great film. Is it really true that David Goyer wrote the script? Even better I guess.

Those villains Mephisto and Blackheart. I take it they're the same characters from that Marvel Superheroes Arcade game some years back. Does that also mean Shuma Gorath is another villain. I'm assuming that since he looks kinda demonic like the other two mentioned.

FVD.

[The Flash]

WOW! This movie is looking very good right now. But I still can't say everything is going to be perfect. I have to wait and see the film to give my final judgement. I think we all do. We can't base our opinion's on what we've read, we have to base our opinion's on what we see.

But Ghost Rider is looking promising. :ghost:

[Cold2daToucH004]

MSJ you rock, hardcore man. You did a great job on Daredevil, i thought the movie was 'brilliant'. It brought daredevil to life, and watching the film, i can really see ur passion for the character... and i totally understand how much it meant to you. Please come back for the second, and bring big ben back also... keep up the good work and cant wait to see your future projects!

-DareDevil: DC will own

[Lighthouse]

A very sad and self promoting question. Have you seen my trailer, and do you like it? *embarrased*

[Matt]

Mark,

I have to say you are one kick ass guy. Thank you on behalf of all of the users of the SHH message boards for taking your time to do this. :)

[TheVileOne]

Isn't one of the reasons David S. Goyer left the project b/c the studio wanted to turn it into a family movie? I'm still not convinced on this one. If you ask me why, my answer is Johnson's previous work.

To the guy who made a remark about Sam Raimi not talking to the fans...what is the big deal if he doesn't peruse message boards and write replies? I mean quite a few of the posts on these boards are people who nitpick stupid crap about his movies and don't know proper spelling. Big f'n deal if he doesn't post on SHH, his Spider-man movies are above and beyond better than anything Johnson has done or hopes to do with Daredevil and Ghost Rider.

[Riding Ghost]

Thanks MSJ !!!! I love the fact your staying true to the comic and am very very pleased you are going with the JB version of GR.

I think that Ghost Rider is going to completely blow away everything that came before it, including Spider-man.

Thank God MSJ is running the show instead of Goyer!!!!

[ViscaBarcaInter]

I'm really looking forward to this film. The visuals alone should make it a hell of an experience.

And whether people think MSJ is going to do an exceptional job, or a God awful job, you have to least respect the fact that he is going out of his way (and he has absolutely NO obligation to do so) to come here and answer questions, and put himself in the firing line. That deserves truckloads of respect.

[BIGGUN]

Thank God MSJ is running the show instead of Goyer!!!!

after reading Goyer's script and MSJ's responses i agree...Goyer did not understand the character. he had some really cool ideas...but changed both GR and Blaze to where they had very little to do w/ their comic book origins. other than the GR character everything else seemed very ordinary.....
and man....dont get me started on that whole "eating fire to get strength" and the "ghost blaze" look....ugh

[skorponok]

Thanks once again, MSJ, for the words on ghost rider as well as the words about Daredevil 2 :)

[FlameHead]

after reading Goyer's script and MSJ's responses i agree...Goyer did not understand the character. he had some really cool ideas...but changed both GR and Blaze to where they had very little to do w/ their comic book origins. other than the GR character everything else seemed very ordinary.....
and man....dont get me started on that whole "eating fire to get strength" and the "ghost blaze" look....ugh

Who knows what kind of pressures Goyer had on him though. Perhaps he was told to create something a little outside the realm of the comic book.

I asked him about Ghost Rider in the trinity boards and he says he'll never dabble in that world anymore, if given the opportunity. Perhaps that's for the best, though I do like his takes on the supernatural world. I'm happy they held out on the script though.

[BIGGUN]

i loved his take on Blade though....really improved on the character.
could be true about being under certain pressures....the comic book movie making biz was completely different before Spider-Man. that movie proved you could make a successful movie and still stay true to the source material.
also hollywood was into making "friendlier" films at that time...because it was right after 9/11. maybe he was attached to it at the wrong time

[astaldo2099]

wow! that is some cool ****! i'm a huge ghost rider fan and i believe that this is gonna be a hell of a ghost rider movie!!! yeah baby!!! kick some brian singer/sam raimy ass,MSJ!!! woo hoo!!! :ghost: :ghost: :ghost: :daredevil :daredevil :daredevil

[LastSunrise1981]

I've always wanted to see a Ghost Rider movie and after reading this Q&A, I'm looking forward to it more and I believe it'll be great as well.

I will be the first to admit, I'm not a well versed Ghost Rider fanboy; in fact I'm not really familar with the story, but I know who he is and I always thought he was the coolest looking comic book character next to Spider-Man and Batman.

But I want to see the Penance(spelling) Stare. I remember seeing it when reading a Punisher comic book, and he made Frank relive all his past sins of innocent lives who died. If anything I'm most looking forward to that and it's important to have good/great actors who can portray villains in that sense.

[FlameHead]

I hope the Penance stare makes it in too, my friend.

i loved his take on Blade though....really improved on the character.
could be true about being under certain pressures....the comic book movie making biz was completely different before Spider-Man. that movie proved you could make a successful movie and still stay true to the source material.
also hollywood was into making "friendlier" films at that time...because it was right after 9/11. maybe he was attached to it at the wrong time

Yup, the turn to friendly films was probably needed though. I can understand that. It's funny that there's an increase in the want for vengeance movies though. That's something to think about.

I would love to see Goyer and Mark team up for a sequel or something. Mix the Blade and Ghost Rider worlds together. That would be this fanboys dream come true.

[dk]

In the event MSJ comes back to answer more questions:

At one point, Berni Wrightson was involved doing pre-production design work for Ghost Rider. I'm wondering if you were able to use any of the work he did, or if Wrightson continued to be involved beyond the Norrington/Goyer stages.

In a related question, what about Mike Ploog? Assuming you're as big a comic geek as the rest of us, Ploog would be one of the first people to call, especially considering his background in production design (and as co-creator of GR). Shoot...both he and Mark Texeira would've had jobs related to the production if I had anything to do with it - just wondering if you felt the same way.

Daredevil remains hit and miss with me, but I'm eagerly awaiting Ghost Rider all the same. Your ideas sound pretty close to the mark - here's hoping you pull everything off in a big way.

[BIGGUN]

At one point, Berni Wrightson was involved doing pre-production design work for Ghost Rider. I'm wondering if you were able to use any of the work he did, or if Wrightson continued to be involved beyond the Norrington/Goyer stages.



Damn...thats one question that i forgot to ask!! arghh...where were you DK?? heh
i agree those sketches were very cool....im hoping that since MSJ said that GR's look would develop during the film they would at least use the trenchcoat design.

[FlameHead]

Though not a comic design, I wouldn't mind seeing what that trenchcoat would look like.

[Socrates]

I'm still skeptical. I hated what happened to Daredevil and I'll save my judgement on this film till it's out.

Stfu, DareDevil was awesome, as Ghost Rider will be. :D Mark, thanks for DD dude, I can't wait for the Directors Cut. :hyper:

[imagine12]

I can't get past Daredevil. He didn't take that character seriously and what came out was a joke, of physics, of dialogue, of plotting. It was simply poor filmmaking, and he had his whole heart in that one too. So none of this does anything for me.

[FlameHead]

DareDevil is not Ghost Rider. Remember that.

[T1000416]

But who's gonna seriously think that.

[<Mr.Spider>]

whats the rating theyre shooting for with GR?

[RedIsNotBlue]

whats the rating theyre shooting for with GR?

PG-13. But it will probably turn out like Daredevil did DVD-wise with them releasing the rated R director's cut later on.

[FlameHead]

Maybe... but I'm hoping that they'll get this movie right the first time around, therefor not needing an extra release later on.

Please don't cut out 40 minutes of needed footage out of this one folks.

[RedIsNotBlue]

I think they want the PG-13 rating just to draw in a bigger crowd. Then later on release the R rated dvd for the fans who wanted it that way.

[FlameHead]

I'm not sure if there's a lot of fans that do want it that way. Most are fine with a PG-13 rating, from what I read. Those who care about ratings anyway. Personally, I don't care. I'm just exstatic that it's being made.

[BIGGUN]

to me it could work either way...but as long as they are true to the characters from the comics and that they take it seriously. thats one major reason why i didnt like Goyer's rated R script....Blaze and GR had very little resemblance to thier comic counterparts. had other problems w/ it too ...but thats another story ... :p
i see doing a PG 13 film as more of a challenge actually...the director has to use some knowledge on how to imply both violence and gore w/out actually showing it. some of my favorite horror films were from the 30s and 40s and they always implied horror rather than showing it. Black Cat w/ Lugosi and Karloff has a great scene where a man is being skinned alive...you dont actually see it but you hear the person just wailing in pain and see the shadow of the act taking place on a wall.
other techniques like using quick edits and certain camera angles can do wonders as well. Hitchcock's Psycho is a great example...the infamous shower scene is brillant. you never see the knife cut or enter the victims body....its all implied by sound effects and quick film edits.

however monster/non human gore is allowable in PG13 films.....so there should be plenty of that in the movie i bet. im all for monster gore :cool:

[RedIsNotBlue]

to me it could work either way...but as long as they are true to the characters from the comics and that they take it seriously. thats one major reason why i didnt like Goyer's rated R script....Blaze and GR had very little resemblance to thier comic counterparts. had other problems w/ it too ...but thats another story ... :p
i see doing a PG 13 film as more of a challenge actually...the director has to use some knowledge on how to imply both violence and gore w/out actually showing it. some of my favorite horror films were from the 30s and 40s and they always implied horror rather than showing it. Black Cat w/ Lugosi and Karloff has a great scene where a man is being skinned alive...you dont actually see it but you hear the person just wailing in pain and see the shadow of the act taking place on a wall.
other techniques like using quick edits and certain camera angles can do wonders as well. Hitchcock's Psycho is a great example...the infamous shower scene is brillant. you never see the knife cut or enter the victims body....its all implied by sound effects and quick film edits.

however monster/non human gore is allowable in PG13 films.....so there should be plenty of that in the movie i bet. im all for monster gore :cool:

Sorry is this sounds off but its really late and im tired. But they did the same thing with Alien vs. Predator (2 rated r franchises) and moved it to pg-13 because of the majority of "creature" gore and it bombed. But I think I cannot say anything till I see the final product or at least a trailer.

[BIGGUN]

AVP could have been successfull as a PG13....but it was horribly directed, written, and acted. audiences will know when to stay away from a bad film....actually i think it would have made even LESS money had it been rated R.
again it depends on the director....Paul Anderson just wasnt up to the task for AVP. we will have to wait and see about MSJ on Ghost Rider...but i think he can do it.

[WarBlade]

it depends on the director....Paul Anderson just wasnt up to the task for AVP.
Is anybody though? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who thinks that making a movie adaptation of a comicbook spinoff of two comicbook adaptations of two sci-fi movie franchises was a bad idea. And I do. I think the AVP movie was a really dopey idea. I also imagine that most other film directors out there would probably reach the same conclusion and therefore refrain from touching it with a decently long bargepole.

Which just leaves numbskulls and desperate filmmakers trying to make a name for themselves in hollywood.

Which in turn is highly likely to result in a piece of smelly crap on the screen.

[FlameHead]

I didn't hate AVP. I though it was a fun movie that paid some nice homage to both franchises. Yes, it was cheesy as hell... but, whatever.

[zer00]

I didn't hate AVP. I though it was a fun movie that paid some nice homage to both franchises. Yes, it was cheesy as hell... but, whatever.

Some people like their cucumbers pickled.

[FlameHead]

Yes... they do.

[zer00]

Yes... they do.

......lets just pretend that transaction didn't happen:up:

[FlameHead]

Agreed

[Eapo_q42]

So, we know that all round nice guy director MSJ makes an appearance on these boards every once in a while. Let's be ready, ladies and gentlemen!

Personally, I'd like any sort of details on the transformation that he'd be willing to give us.
And I know it's early for this, but I'd like to know how the effects on the movie are coming along, or even how the early tests for them are going. Are you happy with how it's coming together MSJ?

What about the rest of you? Anything in particular you'd like to hear if MSJ shows his face around here?

[Wonderman]

Okay...let's turn this around just a bit. We know that the director of GhostRider, MSJ, occassionally stops by to give us a bit of news. But, wouldn't we also like to hear from the cast??

Seriously.

Wouldn't all of us love to hear what Cage, Mendes, Fonda and the rest of the crew have to say about the production of this movie?

I, for one, would like to hear what Cage (who lobbied so hard for this role of the Ghost Rider and who has a tattoo of his superhero on his arm) has to say about the making of this movie, as well as the other players.

Are there dreams coming true? Are they satisfied with the production? What can they tell us about the story line? How comfortable are they being the characters (often quite unattractive soulwise)?

Wouldn't we all enjoy HEARING from them all, as well as MSJ?

[HighVoltage]

So....Mr. Mark Steven Johnnson I have a good question for ya.

Next MARVEL Movie project for you is....

....Captain America The Motion picture??!!

:daredevil :ghost:

[BURNFOREVER]

I´ll ask him to create a dark atmosphere for GR.
NO humor. No funny sidekicks. NO jokes. NO colors. NO light.
He is a DEMON. A SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE.
I don´t care if it´s PG-13 or not.
The climate must be hardcore.
Like BLADE, for exemple.
No colors no jokes.
A sucess. A great movie.
Why GR cannot be like it?
Please MSJ:make us proud of your GR movie.

[crystal_flame6]

I would like to know if/when we can expect official pictures of Ghost Rider and the rest of the cast in costume, when we will see some of the promotional stuff (posters, trailers, teasers,etc.), and if he likes the ideas in the other threads for them and the games.

[BPrulz182]

Well, I'd like to know if this is really going to be in the tone of movies like Mad Max, because if so that would be great, the way a Ghost Rider movie should be.

[BIGGUN]

Alright...as some of you are aware the Q&A for Ghost Rider will be held this Saturday at the Comic-Con. MSJ, Avi Arad, and Eva Mendez will be there to answer questions.
As what we did before the last press conference for GR (that was held in Australia) I thought it would be a good idea to get some questions together that could either be asked for us by someone at the con or (hopefully) MSJ will have time enough to answer them himself...These might not be answered but again it wouldn’t hurt to simply ask.
I'd say 3 or 4 questions per person and please make it polite.

1.) There was a report a few months ago by someone who saw concept drawings for Blackheart stating the character looked like a "nosferatu type creature". Is this description true?

2) There have been a few long time fans of GR who were upset over the fact that the character would use a "Hellfire Shotgun" instead of shooting flames from the hands like in the original 70's comic. Is it possible that the shotgun is a rare occurrence in the film and GR would instead use the chain and Penance Stare for most of the movie? Why did you feel it was necessary for GR to use a shotgun instead of shooting Hellfire from his hands?

3) Avi Arad called the line up for the soundtrack "Southern rock". However, many of us can't picture Ghost Rider pummeling demons to the tune of Lynard Skynard. I think it’s safe to say that fans have always associated GR with hard rock/metal. To give us an idea where this soundtrack is going could you give us some bands that you were interested in getting for the album?

4) Could you elaborate on the personality of the Ghost Rider for the film? Will he be based on the 90's version or will he be based on the evil (and much cooler :D )Zarathos from the classic 70's series.

[RedIsNotBlue]

1. Do you plan on breaking the 2 hour mark?

2. Is the release date set in stone?

3. Is there any chance for Danny Ketch showing up in this movie or the future?

4. I have heard Horror used for the theme of this movie. Will there actually be moments in this film that will make you gasp, scream, or grab onto the person next to you?

5. Need any extras for Ghost Rider 2? :)

[badash55]

1. I've noticed in the early issues of the 70s Ghost Rider comics that John Blaze kept his personality despite the physical transformation into Ghost Rider. Is this going to be the case for the movie, or is the movie going down the Jekyll and Hyde route with GR as a seperate personality like in the later issues of the 70s run and throughout the 90s run?

2. You worked with composer Graeme Revell on Daredevil. You planning on getting him to do the score for Ghost Rider?

[totalpackage59]

Will Ghost Rider 2 be shot in Melbourne (Australia) and will MSJ & Avi be making more movies down here.

[FlameHead]

Again BG, fantastic idea on this thread. I don't know if we'll be lucky enough to have MSJ answer these questions for us this year... but it's good to have these questions out there for somebody to ask him at the con. There better be somebody from here there...

As for my Questions...

1) The bike is obviously MUCH different than either version we've seen (not that it's a bad thing) and I'm wondering where that idea can from and why the major change? Also, about the bike, can any of Johnny's bikes change into the hellcyle or is it just 'Grace'? (Was that 3 questions there? That doesn't count! hehe)

2) What was the most difficult challange you had while filming the movie?

3) The picture of Ghost Rider that was released not long ago looks almost perfect... except for the skull, which looks a little cartoony. Is this something that the studio realizes and is it being worked on?

4) Will the movie have any of the same elements of the upcomming Ghost Rider comic. Like is Matt Long's story much like what happens in Garth Ennis's storyline or are they completly seperate things?

I want to ask more... but I'll keep it at that.

[Riding Ghost]

1.) There was a report a few months ago by someone who saw concept drawings for Blackheart stating the character looked like a "nosferatu type creature". Is this description true?

2) There have been a few long time fans of GR who were upset over the fact that the character would use a "Hellfire Shotgun" instead of shooting flames from the hands like in the original 70's comic. Is it possible that the shotgun is a rare occurrence in the film and GR would instead use the chain and Penance Stare for most of the movie? Why did you feel it was necessary for GR to use a shotgun instead of shooting Hellfire from his hands?

3) Avi Arad called the line up for the soundtrack "Southern rock". However, many of us can't picture Ghost Rider pummeling demons to the tune of Lynard Skynard. I think it’s safe to say that fans have always associated GR with hard rock/metal. To give us an idea where this soundtrack is going could you give us some bands that you were interested in getting for the album?

4) Could you elaborate on the personality of the Ghost Rider for the film? Will he be based on the 90's version or will he be based on the evil (and much cooler :D )Zarathos from the classic 70's series.

Awesome idea and awesome questions.
I wanted to second all that.
2-4 are my top questions.

[BigCityBoy]

1. Is there going to be an R-rated director's cut released on DVD just like Daredevil?

2. What's the status on Daredevil 2(if its being planned)?

[MarvelMovies]

Hello MSJ and thanks for answering questions for the fans, and being a great director to take on this project.

1. Now that filming is complete, how was it? Did Nicolas Cage, Peter Fonda, and Eva Mendes fill the parts as you thought they would? Was everything that you dreamt of in the script fulfilled in the shoot and done as you thought? Overall, what's your reaction to the film now that the shoot is over?

2. I've heard that Fox studios holds back their directors, and after watching the Daredevil: Director's Cut compared to the theatrical release, I may have to agree since the DC was tenfold better. How was your experience with Sony Pictures and were there any regrets that you would need a director's cut?

3. I've been a fan of Nic Cage as Blaze ever since he was announced for the role several years ago, and was thinking about the legendary Johnny Blaze blonde locks. Obviously, I think the decision to go with Cage and the modern shorter brown hair looks better, but did you ever think of sticking with the blonde hair?

4. Will there be any scenes, such as in the Goyer script, where Ghost Rider completely unleashes Hell and just thrashes through everyone in his path? The Penance Stare and his variety of other uses with chains and Hellfire I assume will all be present, including a new weapon in the Shotgun. I'm actually a fan of this idea, and can't wait to see it being used in a "Free For All" kick butt fight!

5. Have you had any input on the upcoming video game and how closely will the game tie-in to the movie? I can only imagine playing the Ghost Rider shooting fire from his hands and fry a baddie to crsip.

6. Would you be willing to return for a sequel, hoping there is one, and if so... what story line and villians would you choose?

7. There have been 4 different logos released (my fav being the Flamey 2nd one), and was just curious if different ones were being tested, or if it's still undecided to which one will be the final one.

8. Will there be a teaser trailer with X-Men 3? :D

Thanks again for everything you've done with the fans here at the Hype, and remember... www.IGR.notlong.com is there for you!

[RedIsNotBlue]

Hello MSJ and thanks for answering questions for the fans, and being a great director to take on this project.

1. Now that filming is complete, how was it? Did Nicolas Cage, Peter Fonda, and Eva Mendes fill the parts as you thought they would? Was everything that you dreamt of in the script fulfilled in the shoot and done as you thought? Overall, what's your reaction to the film now that the shoot is over?

2. I've heard that Fox studios holds back their directors, and after watching the Daredevil: Director's Cut compared to the theatrical release, I may have to agree since the DC was tenfold better. How was your experience with Sony Pictures and were there any regrets that you would need a director's cut?

3. I've been a fan of Nic Cage as Blaze ever since he was announced for the role several years ago, and was thinking about the legendary Johnny Blaze blonde locks. Obviously, I think the decision to go with Cage and the modern shorter brown hair looks better, but did you ever think of sticking with the blonde hair?

4. Will there be any scenes, such as in the Goyer script, where Ghost Rider completely unleashes Hell and just thrashes through everyone in his path? The Penance Stare and his variety of other uses with chains and Hellfire I assume will all be present, including a new weapon in the Shotgun. I'm actually a fan of this idea, and can't wait to see it being used in a "Free For All" kick butt fight!

5. Have you had any input on the upcoming video game and how closely will the game tie-in to the movie? I can only imagine playing the Ghost Rider shooting fire from his hands and fry a baddie to crsip.

6. Would you be willing to return for a sequel, hoping there is one, and if so... what story line and villians would you choose?

7. There have been 4 different logos released (my fav being the Flamey 2nd one), and was just curious if different ones were being tested, or if it's still undecided to which one will be the final one.

8. Will there be a teaser trailer with X-Men 3? :D

Thanks again for everything you've done with the fans here at the Hype, and remember... www.IGR.notlong.com is there for you!

Some of your questions are weird, Marvel. I think they are still filming and why would there be a teaser trailer with X3? Ghost Rider is going to be release around the same time.

[InVictus]

I woul ask about GR eyes, if they are permanently ablaze or normalli empty,and they burns up in the penance stare.

[BURNFOREVER]

Alright...as some of you are aware the Q&A for Ghost Rider will be held this Saturday at the Comic-Con. MSJ, Avi Arad, and Eva Mendez will be there to answer questions.
As what we did before the last press conference for GR (that was held in Australia) I thought it would be a good idea to get some questions together that could either be asked for us by someone at the con or (hopefully) MSJ will have time enough to answer them himself...These might not be answered but again it wouldn’t hurt to simply ask.
I'd say 3 or 4 questions per person and please make it polite.

1.) There was a report a few months ago by someone who saw concept drawings for Blackheart stating the character looked like a "nosferatu type creature". Is this description true?

2) There have been a few long time fans of GR who were upset over the fact that the character would use a "Hellfire Shotgun" instead of shooting flames from the hands like in the original 70's comic. Is it possible that the shotgun is a rare occurrence in the film and GR would instead use the chain and Penance Stare for most of the movie? Why did you feel it was necessary for GR to use a shotgun instead of shooting Hellfire from his hands?

3) Avi Arad called the line up for the soundtrack "Southern rock". However, many of us can't picture Ghost Rider pummeling demons to the tune of Lynard Skynard. I think it’s safe to say that fans have always associated GR with hard rock/metal. To give us an idea where this soundtrack is going could you give us some bands that you were interested in getting for the album?

4) Could you elaborate on the personality of the Ghost Rider for the film? Will he be based on the 90's version or will he be based on the evil (and much cooler :D )Zarathos from the classic 70's series.

Hey, BG.
Good thread, but, c´mon! You have the best questions for yourself!
It´s not fair!
But seriously, my questions would go through the same road:
1-BLACKHEART: mr MSJ, WHY not to use the AWESOME original look?
2-SOUNDTRACK: southern rock? why? maybe this is not exactaly the director´s area, but, Jesus, GR is METAL!
3-ZARATHOS: is he the demon inside JB? Would be awesome.
PS: the hellfire shotgun rocks.

[FlameHead]

Hmmm... We need more questions, and I got some, if ya'll don't mind.

1) One of the biggest problems I had with Elektra was the number of baddies the movie had because none of them were developed or shown really as a threat. We know that this movie has 2 main villians with Meph and Blackheart and 3 lesser demons who are BH's henchmen. Are there more and is there enough screen time to develope the threat in them?

2) There are 3 actors listed on IMDB that have no character name with them; Laurence Breuls, Joel Tobeck and Matthew Wilkinson. Who are they playing?

3) Will the movie visit Hell or does it all take place on the top side?

[BIGGUN]

Hmmm... We need more questions, and I got some, if ya'll don't mind.



nah....this thread hasnt been loaded down w/ questions so it should be ok. getting some questions answered is the important thing.
im thinking of editing my questions if they get answered today at the show....that way it will make it easier for MSJ to answer some of the questions that werent addressed. maybe just type it in italics or in bold right after the question itself. we will see how it goes though...

i do have one mo' myself :D

5) I read a rumor on IMDB that Orange County Choppers built the Hellcycle and that there will be an episode covering the build next season before the movie opens. Is this true?

[Crowley9]

The first post on this thread pretty much covers what I want to know most. Plus the question about Zarathos.

[MarvelMovies]

Some of your questions are weird, Marvel. I think they are still filming and why would there be a teaser trailer with X3? Ghost Rider is going to be release around the same time.

1)
They're done with production and filming. According to the Comic Con interview, MSJ said they finished filming a few weeks ago and are into early CGI test footage.

2)
Wrong again.
X-Men 3 will be released at the end of May 2006... and Ghost rider will be released the beginning of August of the same year. That's an entire Summer of Hype to build up there... and 2 months separate them, so that's not the same time. Releasing a teaser or trailer with X3 is ideal I think.

[InVictus]

I woul ask about GR eyes, if they are permanently ablaze or normalli empty,and they burns up in the penance stare.

Well, last pictures from Comic Con seems to somewhat have answered this one....
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4790/comiccon013qq.jpg

[RedIsNotBlue]

1)
They're done with production and filming. According to the Comic Con interview, MSJ said they finished filming a few weeks ago and are into early CGI test footage.

2)
Wrong again.
X-Men 3 will be released at the end of May 2006... and Ghost rider will be released the beginning of August of the same year. That's an entire Summer of Hype to build up there... and 2 months separate them, so that's not the same time. Releasing a teaser or trailer with X3 is ideal I think.

I would be surprised if X3 made it's release date. If it is rushed...which it looks like it is being...then that is going to be bad news. And you said teaser...not trailer. I would expect a teaser sometime before the end of the year.

[blades_shades]

X3 is going to be release on time. It's assured success so they might be spending more money than usual and doing post production work after each scene instead of waiting for the whole film to be done. This way when filming is wrapped post prodution will take half the time leaving the room to fix things, tweak things, and make it perfect. Spielberg did it this way with WOTW which I hated but the editing and post production work looked fine.

[RedIsNotBlue]

X3 if released on that date had a big chance of being a rushed looking movie. I personally think Ghost Rider has too much post production time and should switch with X3.

[MarvelMovies]

X3 if released on that date had a big chance of being a rushed looking movie. I personally think Ghost Rider has too much post production time and should switch with X3.

How can a movie have too much production time?

Time to perfect the CGI, reshoots if needed, changes and thoughts.. and Hyping the movie will be no problem.

There will be no rush.. and everything will settle right into place.

I'm willing to wait the extra 2 months, since we've waited this long already for a Ghost Rider movie...

[FlameHead]

I agree. There's never too much time for post. Take your time MSJ and Sony. Get this thing perfect!

Other than that, I think we should keep furter major discussions. For further discussions on this topic, check out this new thread I just started.
http://www.superherohype.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188766

[RedIsNotBlue]

How can a movie have too much production time?

Time to perfect the CGI, reshoots if needed, changes and thoughts.. and Hyping the movie will be no problem.

There will be no rush.. and everything will settle right into place.

I'm willing to wait the extra 2 months, since we've waited this long already for a Ghost Rider movie...

Yes true but a movie can also have too little production. I am saying it is getting too much production time compared to X3. I am not wanting to see it 2 months early...I can wait. I was thinking about X3 but oh well.

[MarvelMovies]

Yes true but a movie can also have too little production. I am saying it is getting too much production time compared to X3. I am not wanting to see it 2 months early...I can wait. I was thinking about X3 but oh well.

True, X3 needs more production and post time...

But, Ghost Rider is at Sony.. and X3 is at Fox...

So, Marvel doesn't have any control over when to release the film.. and if they should be switched.

If X3 could come out later, I think it would be perfect.. but I guess that from now to the end of May is enough time.. but I doubt it.

X3 will definitely be rushed, but I'm just hoping that the movie will be good enough that it won't matter.. too much.

[Crowley9]

Last night I had a dream where I was conducting a phone interview with MSJ and asked some of these questions. I clearly hang around here too much.

[FlameHead]

Clearly.

I have a question though; what were his answers?

[Crowley9]

The only one I can remember even vaguely was the shotgun. It was something like it would be only used to the demons in human form.

[FlameHead]

Interesting...

So, the comic-con is all over and while many concerns were answered, we still have many questions. Of course, I'm sure we will continue too for the next year.

Hmmm... I wonder if MSJ was advised by Sony to stop chattin' about the movie on the threads here. Perhaps they've all decided to keep things 'official'?

[InVictus]

Right, never underestimate the news from the dreamlands.

[FlameHead]

Bump. Just wanna make sure this stays on the first page... because you never know.

[FlameHead]

Another excuss to bump...

One more question; Were you inspired at all by the conversations had here on the hype for things in the movie?

[MSJ]

Hey guys. What's up? Sorry I've been gone so long. It's late on Friday night and I have a moment to myself so I thought I'd check back in and see how you're all doing. Things are going great on the G.R. front. In fact, today I got to hear the Ghost Rider's voice for the first time!!! My Sound Designer is Dane Davis, who won the Academy Award for The Matrix, and is a true genius when it comes to creating new sounds. To start with, Dane took Nic's reading of all of the Ghost Rider's lines, filtered them through 3 different kinds of animal growls (played backwards, covering three separate frequencies) then played it through a mechanical volumizer, before finally setting the whole thing on fire! It's fantastic. Picture a deep, demonic, mechanical lion's roar and you'll get an idea of what he sounds like. One thing is for sure -- his voice will shake the theatre!

Comic Con was great. I hope some of you got to go. It had only been a few weeks since wrap, so I didn't have much to offer, but I didn't want to show up empty-handed so we put together a little teaser. Unfortunately, it got put on the internet by mistake. And although it was a good piece for what it was, it had virtually no action and no Ghost Rider in it! I was pissed off, to say the least. The Ghost Rider some of you saw was a proof of concept test that was done before filming even began. The finished look is going to blow your mind, I promise. I know some of you have asked to have the teaser back on the net, but trust me, the real one will be worth the wait!

Biggun directed me to some questions on this link. So I'll try and answer a few before I knock off for the night...


-- There was a report a few months ago by someone who saw concept drawings for Blackheart stating the character looked like a "nosferatu type creature". Is this description true?

Blackheart is shown in what I consider his "Human form" for much of the movie. But along the way we get hints of what lies underneath. By the climax we see his true self -- and it's horrifying. There will be some of the classic comic look along with other horrific elements to his look.

-- There have been a few long time fans of GR who were upset over the fact that the character would use a "Hellfire Shotgun" instead of shooting flames from the hands like in the original 70's comic. Is it possible that the shotgun is a rare occurrence and GR would instead use the chain and Penance Stare for most of the movie? Why did you feel it was necessary for GR to use a shotgun instead of shooting Hellfire from his hands?

The Shotgun only appears later in the film. For most of the movie GR uses the chain and the Penance Stare. And he throws fire as well!!

-- Avi Arad called the line up for the soundtrack "Southern rock". However, many of us can't picture Ghost Rider pummeling demons to the tune of Lynard Skynard. I think it’s safe to say fans have always associated GR with hard rock/metal. To give us an idea where this soundtrack is going could you give us some bands you were interested in getting for the album?

The more I work on the film, the more it feels like score rather than songs. I made the mistake of too many songs in DD, and although it made for a great album, I think it hurt the movie. When I mention Southern Rock, I don't mean classic rock, I mean what would today's version of that style of music be like? I don't want this to be another generic hard rock soundtrack movie. GR deserves better than that. Southern Rock was an idea that came out of the Western feel of the movie. That all being said, the only songs I'm cutting to so far in the temp mix are ACDC and ZZ Top!

-- Could you elaborate on the personality of the Ghost Rider for the film? Will he be based on the 90's version or will he be based on the evil (and much cooler ) Zarathos from the classic 70's series.

The Ghost Rider is one mean sonofa*****. Nic and I really wanted to play it as a Jekyll & Hyde kind of relationship. Johnny is actually a really honest, decent, simple man. Albeit, one who made a really rotten deal as a kid. But the Ghost Rider doesn't give a damn about anybody. All he cares about is hunting. In our movie, the presence of evil sets the Ghost Rider off. And in one scene Johnny is thrown into a holding cell with a bunch of inmates. He begs the guards not to put him in there. The guards think that Johnny is afraid of what the inmates will do to him. But, in truth, Johnny's afraid of what the Ghost Rider will do to them. The Ghost Rider, of course, is delighted with the whole scenario and can't wait to come out and 'play.'

-- Do you plan on breaking the 2 hour mark?

It's a little over that now in the cut. I think so...

-- Is the release date set in stone?

Nope. Sometime in Summer 2006. Which month is up for grabs.

-- Is there any chance for Danny Ketch showing up in this movie or the future?

Not in this story. But maybe in the future. Who knows?

-- I have heard Horror used for the theme of this movie. Will there actually be moments in this film that will make you gasp, scream, or grab onto the person next to you?

Yup. In fact, there are three scenes in the movie that make myself and my editor jump every time we watch them! And we know they're coming!

-- I've noticed in the early issues of the 70s Ghost Rider comics that John Blaze kept his personality despite the physical transformation into Ghost Rider. Is this going to be the case for the movie, or is the movie going down the Jekyll and Hyde route with GR as a seperate personality like in the later issues of the 70s run and throughout the 90s run?

More Jekyll & Hyde. Although as the story progresses, Johnny is trying to gain control of the spirit inside him -- with mixed results.

-- The bike is obviously MUCH different than either version we've seen (not that it's a bad thing) and I'm wondering where that idea can from and why the major change? Also, about the bike, can any of Johnny's bikes change into the hellcyle or is it just 'Grace'? (Was that 3 questions there? That doesn't count! hehe)

Yeah, the bike from the comics is cool, both the 70's version and the 90's version. But I did think it could be improved upon. I always thought that the Hellcycle should look like Ghost Rider, like the Batmobile looked like Batman. My theory has always been that Hellfire affects metal in a specific way. That's why his shotgun turns into a Hellfire shotgun, why the studs in his motorcycle jacket turn into three inch spikes, and why his old chopper turns into a flaming Hellcycle. I liked the idea that it was a part of him, if you will, that it was a machine but also a beast.

-- The picture of Ghost Rider that was released not long ago looks almost perfect... except for the skull, which looks a little cartoony. Is this something that the studio realizes and is it being worked on?

The picture you saw on the net or at comic con is cool, but it's only a painting. A real photo of the Ghost Rider doesn't exist yet. But it's going to look far cooler than that. There is a whole team of geniuses at Sony Imageworks who do nothing but work on the look of that flaming skull.

-- Will the movie have any of the same elements of the upcomming Ghost Rider comic. Like is Matt Long's story much like what happens in Garth Ennis's storyline or are they completly seperate things?

I haven't read Garth's storyline, but I do understand that we both thought up the same idea -- that the Ghost Rider is a bounty hunter from Hell!

-- Now that filming is complete, how was it? Did Nicolas Cage, Peter Fonda, and Eva Mendes fill the parts as you thought they would? Was everything that you dreamt of in the script fulfilled in the shoot and done as you thought? Overall, what's your reaction now that the shoot is over?

I'm very, very pleased with what we did. All of the actors were awesome and brough something special to the party. But Nic is truly a genius. He can do things that only Nic Cage can do. He's a perfect JB.

-- I've heard that Fox studios holds back their directors, and after watching the Daredevil: Director's Cut compared to the theatrical release, I may have to agree since the DC was tenfold better. How was your experience with Sony Pictures and were there any regrets that you would need a director's cut?

Sony has been just terrific. They've obviously had a lot of success with Marvel movies in the past, and they trust the material and the fans. There won't be any need for a special Director's Edition on this one, at least one that's as radically different as the DD DC was.

-- I've been a fan of Nic Cage as Blaze ever since he was announced for the role several years ago, and was thinking about the legendary Johnny Blaze blonde locks. Obviously, I think the decision to go with Cage and the modern shorter brown hair looks better, but did you ever think of sticking with the blonde hair?

Sure. We tried a couple different looks. But the dark hair just looks more like Nic. The blonde hair looked too much like "Gone in 60 Seconds."

-- Will there be any scenes, such as in the Goyer script, where Ghost Rider completely unleashes Hell and just thrashes through everyone in his path? The Penance Stare and his variety of other uses with chains and Hellfire I assume will all be present, including a new weapon in the Shotgun. I'm actually a fan of this idea, and can't wait to see it being used in a "Free For All" kick butt fight!

There's plenty of ass kicking done by GR in the movie, don't worry! He truly gets to utilize all of his abilities in the movie. However, I do hold to the idea of the comic that he will not take a human life. Demons, on the other hand, are totally on the menu. And humans have to endure the Penance Stare, which is a fate worse than death.

-- Have you had any input on the upcoming video game and how closely will the game tie-in to the movie? I can only imagine playing the Ghost Rider shooting fire from his hands and fry a baddie to crsip.

The Ghost Rider game is being developed right now. I met with the team in Australia when they came to visit the set. That game is going to rule! It's a motorcycle jumping game, a quest game, a fighting game, etc. If I remember right, Mephisto captures Roxanne and Johnny/Ghost Rider has to fight through all of his demons and classic villains to get to her.

-- Would you be willing to return for a sequel, hoping there is one, and if so... what story line and villians would you choose?

Absolutely. Wouldn't you? It's the greatest sand box in the world. And on that note, as Midnight approaches (how fitting) I'm going to bed. I'll check in later with more. Thanks again for all your questions.

Take care, guys!

MSJ

[WiscoD]

DUDE!!!!!!! DDUUDDEE!!!!!!!!DDDDDDUUUUUUUDDDDDEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! how awsome is that!!!!!!!MSJ you rock!!!!! Finally saw DD DC and it was awsome. And just yesterday i was asking Marvel and Flamehead if you REALLY posted here...Damn ironic that everyone was hoping youd pop in soon and...THERE YOU ARE!!!! ROCK ON!!! Just one request.....YOU GOTTA KEEP AC/DC IN THE FINAL MIX!!! either a revamed version of a classic(only redone by AC/DC themselves)or a new AC/DC song.... they just oooze GHOST RIDER... what do ya think???:ghost:

[BURNFOREVER]

MSJ rocks!
Man, the man himself take some time to talk to us, the fans, the followers.
It´s so cool, very respectful.
I had my doubts on him, have to admit.
But last night i finally watch DD-Director´s Cut.
It´s a total diferent movie, no kidding.
Fox changed so much the final version who hit the theaters and turns the movie something rushed, bad edited and confused.
DD-DC is a great movie! Even deserves a R-rated.
It´s dark, climatic, fantastic fights and a very well written script.
Now my faith is on him. He´s our man. He have respect for the Spirit of Vengeance.
Have respect for us.
And even a teaser of his movie make me cry.
That´s enough for me.
All the luck, MSJ.

[BIGGUN]

WooHoo!
thanks again Mark. i know its a pain in the a@# to type all of that but its greatly appreciated!
although the personality isnt the outright evil sob Zarathos (or at least not yet) but its great to hear that you will be dealing w/ the story as a variant on Jekyll and Hyde....which the comic certainly was. "GR doesnt give a damn about anybody"...thats what i want to hear :D
Blackheart sounds promising....hope you are able to get most of his comic book appearance in there. its just too cool not to use...

keep at it Mark :up:

[Mr Nick]

Mark, thanks once again for taking the time to answer our questions. You don't have to, but you do. Nuff said.

How cool does that jail cell bit sound? What a great idea. Can't wait to see it.

And I really like the idea of Johnny trying to gain control of what's inside him. Reminds me of Robocop, one of my all time favourites, which starts out with the machine imprisoning the man, but his humanity manages to win out in the end.

My excitement and confidence about the film just reached a new peak!!

:up: :D :ghost:

[InVictus]

Nghhhhhh! Nghhhhhh!
*shakes on the floor with foam at the mouth*
OMG i've just pictured the jail scene in my mind!!!
Keep up the good work, MSJ!

[MarvelMovies]

The man emerges with some fantastic answers and a glorious read that I'm glad I woke up so early.. having a hunch something special was going to happen.

The jail scenes are quite familiar, which is awesome since that's a scene I really loved, knowing it's cool enough for this version.

AC/DC and ZZ Top... definitely excellent choices and makes me want to listen to some ol' time rock n roll right now...

Ghost Rider's voice seems as if it's going to be about a hundred billion times better then the Richard Greico digitized voice of the cartoon. Glad they chose a director who knows his stuff... and MSJ sure as heck does!

I wonder what MSJ thinks of the Ghost Rider Network... hehe..

:D

[FlameHead]

MM, it definatly would be cool if he's visited the page...

Man, I've been here for an hour this morning and I'm only getting to this thread now! Why didn't anyone tell me our favorite director dropped by. Sheesh. This is so awesome. I really love everything that I'm hearing.

I especially like the personality of Ghost Rider. He sounds perfect and much like the Ghost Rider I love most. "All he cares about is hunting". All he wants is vengeance... and that's what I want to see.

I think, I'm going to take the time and separate these comments into their respective threads.

Mark, thanks a billion for takin' the time to once again speak with us. You're soon going to take "The Man" nickname away from Stan Lee. Mark "The Man" Steven Johnson. Umm... not quite the same ring, but is true none the less.

[FlameHead]

Okay... I seperated the info to the different threads for maximum conversing. Just wanted to make sure all this fantastic info wasn't lost, ya know? Some of it is only here though.

Did anyone contact SHH about this yet? It should be on the front page...

[The Hellrider]

can't reply.....too much awesomeness.....too early.....can't process.....

:ghost::up::up:

[InVictus]

-- Would you be willing to return for a sequel, hoping there is one, and if so... what story line and villians would you choose?

Absolutely. Wouldn't you? It's the greatest sand box in the world. And on that note, as Midnight approaches (how fitting) I'm going to bed. I'll check in later with more. Thanks again for all your questions.
MSJ

So...:D anyone feel a Lilith and/or Darkhold story could be the best way to knot GR, Blade and maybe even Doc Strange in?
(waitaminute, maybe this should be in a topic on the sequels board...)

[BIGGUN]

Okay... I seperated the info to the different threads for maximum conversing. Just wanted to make sure all this fantastic info wasn't lost, ya know? Some of it is only here though.

Did anyone contact SHH about this yet? It should be on the front page...


yup...i sent SHH an email last night....it takes some time though for them to post it on the front page.

but thats a good idea FH about posting some of those responses in other threads. would help a big deal i think. :up:

[Riding Ghost]

The Shotgun only appears later in the film.
Excellent, if it must be used, thats what I was hoping the case would be.

And he throws fire as well!!
Awesome :up: really looking forward to that

The Ghost Rider is one mean sonofa*****. Nic and I really wanted to play it as a Jekyll & Hyde kind of relationship. Johnny is actually a really honest, decent, simple man. Albeit, one who made a really rotten deal as a kid. But the Ghost Rider doesn't give a damn about anybody
:up: :ghost: Further awesome, sounds much like the GR from the comics(v1) I was hoping for.

Any doubts I've had have been pretty much put to rest by your answers. Thanks so much for dropping by, your truely about as cool as they come. :up:

[Riding Ghost]

So...:D anyone feel a Lilith and/or Darkhold story could be the best way to knot GR, Blade and maybe even Doc Strange in?
(waitaminute, maybe this should be in a topic on the sequels board...)

Personally.....not really :(

[RedIsNotBlue]

Wow. Thanks for answering all of my questions (well most of them :)) MSJ I really appreciate it.

[Hellcycle2000]

i should of asked about the hellcycle being alive

http://home.comcast.net/~svgjr1975/spikes.bmp

[WiscoD]

i like the idea of a GR/Blade crossover.. ive said it a few times on various threads that Midnight Sons would be a great GR sequel. total out of the box thinking instead of the "run of the mill" sequel type thinking..

[Nivek]

Bands? You ever heard of Zakk Wyldes Black Label Society. It's Legendary Ozzy Guitarist Zakk Wyldes band, they have a Skull motif going with the band logo, and the music is very southern rock inspired. Check out the albums 1919 Eternal, Sonic brew, Stronger Than Death, and his newest Albums Blessed Hellride and Mafia. He's currently on the main stage on Ozzfest as well, MSJ.

[ThatOneGuy]

Everything is sounding awesome

[Saint]

I'm always so impressed whenever MSJ shows up hear. Aside from liking everything I here, it just demonstrates a real concern for the thoughts of the fanbase. You kick ass, MSJ.

[Lord Astaldo]

although i haven't seen the DC of DD,I still think that it was one hell of a movie.i saw it with the director's commentary,and i could tell that MSJ really tried for this movie to be great (and for me,it was).as for GR,i'm 1000% that MSJ has done a great ass-kicking movie.MSJ... you rock dude!!!

ps:the cage scene with GR will be f_ckin' awesome!!!

[ROBOCOP CPU001]

my god it's really him...

i'm so shocked...Looking forward to the movie dude..And then i hope you get you ass in gear for daredevil 2!

thanks for dropping by

:D

[ultimatefan]

Hey guys. What's up? Sorry I've been gone so long. It's late on Friday night and I have a moment to myself so I thought I'd check back in and see how you're all doing. Things are going great on the G.R. front. In fact, today I got to hear the Ghost Rider's voice for the first time!!! My Sound Designer is Dane Davis, who won the Academy Award for The Matrix, and is a true genius when it comes to creating new sounds. To start with, Dane took Nic's reading of all of the Ghost Rider's lines, filtered them through 3 different kinds of animal growls (played backwards, covering three separate frequencies) then played it through a mechanical volumizer, before finally setting the whole thing on fire! It's fantastic. Picture a deep, demonic, mechanical lion's roar and you'll get an idea of what he sounds like. One thing is for sure -- his voice will shake the theatre!

Comic Con was great. I hope some of you got to go. It had only been a few weeks since wrap, so I didn't have much to offer, but I didn't want to show up empty-handed so we put together a little teaser. Unfortunately, it got put on the internet by mistake. And although it was a good piece for what it was, it had virtually no action and no Ghost Rider in it! I was pissed off, to say the least. The Ghost Rider some of you saw was a proof of concept test that was done before filming even began. The finished look is going to blow your mind, I promise. I know some of you have asked to have the teaser back on the net, but trust me, the real one will be worth the wait!

Biggun directed me to some questions on this link. So I'll try and answer a few before I knock off for the night...


-- There was a report a few months ago by someone who saw concept drawings for Blackheart stating the character looked like a "nosferatu type creature". Is this description true?

Blackheart is shown in what I consider his "Human form" for much of the movie. But along the way we get hints of what lies underneath. By the climax we see his true self -- and it's horrifying. There will be some of the classic comic look along with other horrific elements to his look.

-- There have been a few long time fans of GR who were upset over the fact that the character would use a "Hellfire Shotgun" instead of shooting flames from the hands like in the original 70's comic. Is it possible that the shotgun is a rare occurrence and GR would instead use the chain and Penance Stare for most of the movie? Why did you feel it was necessary for GR to use a shotgun instead of shooting Hellfire from his hands?

The Shotgun only appears later in the film. For most of the movie GR uses the chain and the Penance Stare. And he throws fire as well!!

-- Avi Arad called the line up for the soundtrack "Southern rock". However, many of us can't picture Ghost Rider pummeling demons to the tune of Lynard Skynard. I think it’s safe to say fans have always associated GR with hard rock/metal. To give us an idea where this soundtrack is going could you give us some bands you were interested in getting for the album?

The more I work on the film, the more it feels like score rather than songs. I made the mistake of too many songs in DD, and although it made for a great album, I think it hurt the movie. When I mention Southern Rock, I don't mean classic rock, I mean what would today's version of that style of music be like? I don't want this to be another generic hard rock soundtrack movie. GR deserves better than that. Southern Rock was an idea that came out of the Western feel of the movie. That all being said, the only songs I'm cutting to so far in the temp mix are ACDC and ZZ Top!

-- Could you elaborate on the personality of the Ghost Rider for the film? Will he be based on the 90's version or will he be based on the evil (and much cooler ) Zarathos from the classic 70's series.

The Ghost Rider is one mean sonofa*****. Nic and I really wanted to play it as a Jekyll & Hyde kind of relationship. Johnny is actually a really honest, decent, simple man. Albeit, one who made a really rotten deal as a kid. But the Ghost Rider doesn't give a damn about anybody. All he cares about is hunting. In our movie, the presence of evil sets the Ghost Rider off. And in one scene Johnny is thrown into a holding cell with a bunch of inmates. He begs the guards not to put him in there. The guards think that Johnny is afraid of what the inmates will do to him. But, in truth, Johnny's afraid of what the Ghost Rider will do to them. The Ghost Rider, of course, is delighted with the whole scenario and can't wait to come out and 'play.'

-- Do you plan on breaking the 2 hour mark?

It's a little over that now in the cut. I think so...

-- Is the release date set in stone?

Nope. Sometime in Summer 2006. Which month is up for grabs.

-- Is there any chance for Danny Ketch showing up in this movie or the future?

Not in this story. But maybe in the future. Who knows?

-- I have heard Horror used for the theme of this movie. Will there actually be moments in this film that will make you gasp, scream, or grab onto the person next to you?

Yup. In fact, there are three scenes in the movie that make myself and my editor jump every time we watch them! And we know they're coming!

-- I've noticed in the early issues of the 70s Ghost Rider comics that John Blaze kept his personality despite the physical transformation into Ghost Rider. Is this going to be the case for the movie, or is the movie going down the Jekyll and Hyde route with GR as a seperate personality like in the later issues of the 70s run and throughout the 90s run?

More Jekyll & Hyde. Although as the story progresses, Johnny is trying to gain control of the spirit inside him -- with mixed results.

-- The bike is obviously MUCH different than either version we've seen (not that it's a bad thing) and I'm wondering where that idea can from and why the major change? Also, about the bike, can any of Johnny's bikes change into the hellcyle or is it just 'Grace'? (Was that 3 questions there? That doesn't count! hehe)

Yeah, the bike from the comics is cool, both the 70's version and the 90's version. But I did think it could be improved upon. I always thought that the Hellcycle should look like Ghost Rider, like the Batmobile looked like Batman. My theory has always been that Hellfire affects metal in a specific way. That's why his shotgun turns into a Hellfire shotgun, why the studs in his motorcycle jacket turn into three inch spikes, and why his old chopper turns into a flaming Hellcycle. I liked the idea that it was a part of him, if you will, that it was a machine but also a beast.

-- The picture of Ghost Rider that was released not long ago looks almost perfect... except for the skull, which looks a little cartoony. Is this something that the studio realizes and is it being worked on?

The picture you saw on the net or at comic con is cool, but it's only a painting. A real photo of the Ghost Rider doesn't exist yet. But it's going to look far cooler than that. There is a whole team of geniuses at Sony Imageworks who do nothing but work on the look of that flaming skull.

-- Will the movie have any of the same elements of the upcomming Ghost Rider comic. Like is Matt Long's story much like what happens in Garth Ennis's storyline or are they completly seperate things?

I haven't read Garth's storyline, but I do understand that we both thought up the same idea -- that the Ghost Rider is a bounty hunter from Hell!

-- Now that filming is complete, how was it? Did Nicolas Cage, Peter Fonda, and Eva Mendes fill the parts as you thought they would? Was everything that you dreamt of in the script fulfilled in the shoot and done as you thought? Overall, what's your reaction now that the shoot is over?

I'm very, very pleased with what we did. All of the actors were awesome and brough something special to the party. But Nic is truly a genius. He can do things that only Nic Cage can do. He's a perfect JB.

-- I've heard that Fox studios holds back their directors, and after watching the Daredevil: Director's Cut compared to the theatrical release, I may have to agree since the DC was tenfold better. How was your experience with Sony Pictures and were there any regrets that you would need a director's cut?

Sony has been just terrific. They've obviously had a lot of success with Marvel movies in the past, and they trust the material and the fans. There won't be any need for a special Director's Edition on this one, at least one that's as radically different as the DD DC was.

-- I've been a fan of Nic Cage as Blaze ever since he was announced for the role several years ago, and was thinking about the legendary Johnny Blaze blonde locks. Obviously, I think the decision to go with Cage and the modern shorter brown hair looks better, but did you ever think of sticking with the blonde hair?

Sure. We tried a couple different looks. But the dark hair just looks more like Nic. The blonde hair looked too much like "Gone in 60 Seconds."

-- Will there be any scenes, such as in the Goyer script, where Ghost Rider completely unleashes Hell and just thrashes through everyone in his path? The Penance Stare and his variety of other uses with chains and Hellfire I assume will all be present, including a new weapon in the Shotgun. I'm actually a fan of this idea, and can't wait to see it being used in a "Free For All" kick butt fight!

There's plenty of ass kicking done by GR in the movie, don't worry! He truly gets to utilize all of his abilities in the movie. However, I do hold to the idea of the comic that he will not take a human life. Demons, on the other hand, are totally on the menu. And humans have to endure the Penance Stare, which is a fate worse than death.

-- Have you had any input on the upcoming video game and how closely will the game tie-in to the movie? I can only imagine playing the Ghost Rider shooting fire from his hands and fry a baddie to crsip.

The Ghost Rider game is being developed right now. I met with the team in Australia when they came to visit the set. That game is going to rule! It's a motorcycle jumping game, a quest game, a fighting game, etc. If I remember right, Mephisto captures Roxanne and Johnny/Ghost Rider has to fight through all of his demons and classic villains to get to her.

-- Would you be willing to return for a sequel, hoping there is one, and if so... what story line and villians would you choose?

Absolutely. Wouldn't you? It's the greatest sand box in the world. And on that note, as Midnight approaches (how fitting) I'm going to bed. I'll check in later with more. Thanks again for all your questions.

Take care, guys!

MSJ
Thanks a lot MSJ! Always good to know you show up here... I´m looking forward to GR, and I really regret some of the negative comments I made about Daredevil in the past... I just saw the director´s cut and it´s definitely in my top superhero movies list. Fox is satan´s toilet... It´s also great to know you´re humble enough to acknowledge a mistake, like the pop songs.

[Hunter Rider]

Thanks MSJ,most appreciated:) :up:
I love the sound of what your doing with GR's voice and also the fact your thinking score not songs.As for the official teaser with a completed GR im happy to wait

If you return i have 1 question:Can you tell us a bit about the main chase sequence in the movie ? like what things the hellcycle will perform(such as the jesus ride:eek: )

[Edward Brock]

Regardless of what I or everyone else think about his movies, you gotta give him credit for coming here and not being afraid of interacting with the community. :up:

[SolidRoar]

Picture a deep, demonic, mechanical lion's roar and you'll get an idea of what he sounds like. One thing is for sure -- his voice will shake the theatre!

The more I work on the film, the more it feels like score rather than songs. I made the mistake of too many songs in DD, and although it made for a great album, I think it hurt the movie. When I mention Southern Rock, I don't mean classic rock, I mean what would today's version of that style of music be like? I don't want this to be another generic hard rock soundtrack movie. GR deserves better than that.

In our movie, the presence of evil sets the Ghost Rider off. And in one scene Johnny is thrown into a holding cell with a bunch of inmates. He begs the guards not to put him in there. The guards think that Johnny is afraid of what the inmates will do to him. But, in truth, Johnny's afraid of what the Ghost Rider will do to them. The Ghost Rider, of course, is delighted with the whole scenario and can't wait to come out and 'play.'


Anticipation for the movie +3
;):up:

[CaptainStacy]

Man, that prison cell scene sounds like something straight out of the comics (final year or so of the Blaze version)....


Can't wait for this movie!

[Emerald Knight]

whoa...just whoa. This is shaping up better and better than I'd ever dreamed! Ghost Rider is going to ROCK!

[austin316gb]

Awesome!

just awesome!

Music wise i think a bit of Pantera would go down well during a fight and a bit of Rammstein while the chase is on!

[Traveller]

It's wonderful!
MSJ is a real good boy! :) Thank you!!!
I always waited this movie the best. I know I won't get disappointed now!


I read something a long long time ago from this movie. It was a street scene where Ghost Rider ride along on his bike, fire everywhere on his trail and every windows break out!
Another one: Johnny enter into a church and every candles lights out.
Will be these scenes in the movie?

[Milkman95]

Thanks MSJ - you're great. The DC of DD was indeed a step-up from what we saw in theatres (even though I own both of them).

Just goes to show you the differences between Sony and Fox............

[Bat Brain]

Thanks you so much for this MSJ. :up:

I (being a complete GR novice) am really excited about this movie after reading your answers.

[Cal McDonald]

I wonder if MSJ has looked at the new judas priest album with songs like hellrider and such and lyrics that match with the plot of the movie. :ghost:

[demento]

The description of GR's voice sounds great, the jail scene sounds very cool, not to mention a little 'Punisher-esque' (the recent one-shot, "The Cell," comes immediately to mind). Anyway, I like it.

And I'm probably most relieved to hear that MSJ's leaning more toward a theatrical score instead of lifting the latest alt-rock offerings from MTV2's playlist.

Can't wait to see a trailer. :up:

[The Guardian]

THIS IS SO AWESOME, FIRST OF ALL, MSJ, YOU ROCK!:D I LOVED THE DD DC, IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL, BEAUTIFUL WORK! I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THAT FOR US AND FOR TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF THE FANS. THE GR FOOTAGE WE'VE SEEN SO FAR LOOKS AWESOME AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE FILM. EVERYTHING YOU'VE SHARED WITH US SO FAR SOUNDS AMAZING. THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, WE ALL APPRECIATE IT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU AGAIN SOON.:cool: :ghost:

[Superman4ever]

Thanks MSJ...like many have stated before, YOU ROCK!http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/otn/happy/wave.gif

[Visionary]

Thanks for sharing MSJ.

Hmmm...something got me thinking, being that Ghost Rider and Spider-Man are from the same movie studio (Sony Pictures/Marvel) perhaps Ghost Rider could have a brief appearence in Spider-Man 3, it'll also increase Ghost Rider's presence and popularity astronomically--to ready the world for Ghost Rider 2. I don't know why, but I'm just dying to see a brief Marvel Movie cross-over.

[Mr Nick]

They're at the same studio; Dr. Strange was referenced in Spider-Man 2; so why not? That'd be cool!:ghost:

[Nirvana]

Any idea what this movie will actually be rated?

I really don't know crap about Ghost Rider but its Marvel and I have strong faith in them so I'm going to go see this. plus, Nick Cage is awesome!

[vader519]

Damn I cannot wait for this movie. When I read his post, it just made me glad that he is working hard on this, and trying to make it true to the comic books to some exstent.

[Mr Nick]

PG-13 in America, as far as I know. Probably a 12A in Britain.

:)

[Darthkush]

After that lackluster comic con footage, some of my faith in this project had been lost but leave it to MSJ to restore much of it. Thanks again for responding to us fans.

For the record, I always liked daredevil(both versions). I never saw why people hated it as much as they did.

One question I have is how heavily will the film be promoted and what kind of merchandising tie-ins will we see? Will we get action figures, bed sheets, party plates, etc.?

[GMONEY]

I'm telling you he's better than Brian Singer. He should of done Superman Returns!!!!

[MarvelMovies]

I'm telling you he's better than Brian Singer. He should of done Superman Returns!!!!

Haha, then MSJ couldn't have done Ghost Rider!

:D

[Pickle-El]

Thanks MSJ, you've made a fan out of me.....looks like I'll be adding this to the list of movies next year. :up:

If only more directors were as friendly as MSJ...

[BIGGUN]

One question I have is how heavily will the film be promoted and what kind of merchandising tie-ins will we see? Will we get action figures, bed sheets, party plates, etc.?

from what i understand Sony wants to heavily promote the film as much as possible. there will be a full action figure line including a remote control Hellcycle and a deluxe 12" figure released under the Marvel Studios figure line (like the DD , Punisher and most recently Dr. Doom figure). also cant forget the video game as well.
im sure there will be more...

[Mauser9910]

I must join everybody in thanking MSJ for dropping by and answering these questions.
I can't wait for the real trailer now ! :)

[Sauron]

MSJ, it is so cool for you to talk to us fans. I bought DareDevil the Directors Cut and it is so great.

Love your work, can't wait to see what you do with Ghostrider, I have much faith in you.

From what I've heard it's going to be a masterpiece. :up:

[MrHollywood]

Very cool of you to drop in and talk to teh fans MSJ. Your a good man. Take care of the GS for us.

[YJ1]

How cool does that jail cell bit sound? What a great idea. Can't wait to see it.

And I really like the idea of Johnny trying to gain control of what's inside him. Reminds me of Robocop, one of my all time favourites, which starts out with the machine imprisoning the man, but his humanity manages to win out in the end.

My excitement and confidence about the film just reached a new peak!!


That jail cell stuff sounds like it might be a highlight of the entire film. I'm betting it's trailer material. Forget Robocop, this sounds like what Hulk should've been like.

MSJ is an excellent film maker and seems to be a man with tremendous vision. I hope Marvel & Avi just locks him up with one Marvel project after the other for years to come. Give him Iron Man and then DD2 for his next two projects!

[X Cosmo X]

I had my doubts in MSJ after seeing the theatrical cut of Daredevil and asked myself ",how can you call yourself a fan of the comic and say you love it" after that was released. I kept my opinion to myself completely until i saw the director's cut which was incredible. Still had some flaws and wasn't 100% dead on but it did a better job portraying all the aspects of DD than it's theatrical predecessor. The Soundtrack for that was even cool, I mean you breanched out and used "Realease The Dogs" by BOYSETSFIRE who is a really amazing Hardcore (Hardcore in the sense of the music they play and feel is real and not what it's being considered today with tight jeans and black eye make-up) from Newark, Delaware and who I'm friends with.

Ghost rider is a character true to my heart and that I love as much as I love my Batman. So far the mini trailer looked awesome for something that wasn't even nearly a finished product. I just hope that your boss's let you put out the cut of the film that you feel is right and gives everyone the full story rather than bits and pieces of what the studio thinks the audience wants. You renewed my faith even if it means waiting til a director's cut for this, please just don't let me down after redeeming yourself!!

As far as the Soundtrack goes, I'm sure you got some good stuff lined-up. I talked to my boy Carl who runs Ferret Records from NEW JERSEY and we were chattin it up about comics, and he is hyped for this movie. He also just signed and released the new MADBALL records, "LEGACY". Now MADBALL has been around forever, they are the kings of New York Hardcore and know the deal on what's tough and what's straight up from the heart music. The new cd has a song that in My opinion can be one of the tracks on the soundtrack that fits the aspect of Johnny Blaze in the most blunt ways possible. HEAVEN - HELL. It's in the same vein as "Release The Dogs" by BOYSETSFIRE where the singing is real and not hard to understand. The lyrics are true and from his heart. Definitely check them out and you'll become a fan, even if not on the soundtrack, but you'll become a fan, guaranteed.

[Master Kenobi]

I know the perfect song for both the teaser trailer and the movie,

AC/DC Hell's Bells!

I can just see it now, too SWEEEEET!!!!!

[totalpackage59]

Naah! Back In Black

[deDIKnight]

"Back in Black" would work great

"Highway to Hell" would be another i'd like to hear in the soundtrack

Definitely the Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil"

Some psychobilly rock might be cool too - maybe some Cramps songs like "Customised" and "Mean Machine" as they are real cool driving songs

Definitely some Link Wray instrumentals would rock too - they give a real southern/western vibe and are just timeless

At the end of the day as long as guys like Mark Steven Johnson, Sam Raimi, Robert Rodriguez, Chris Nolan and Guillermo Del Toro are out there looking out for us, the fans, in their work - the future of superhero/comic-to-film movies are assured

And i'm very impressed at the man himself stopping by to chat with us

What a legend:up: :up:

[Punitore]

Rollins Band - Ghost Rider?

[Great Wolverine]

hmmm....im still a bit skeptical bout this movie but i will give msj the benefit of the doubt...i think im gonna have to see dd-dc..but like many other here i gonna have to give props and thnks to msj to actually come to this board and answer fans question...i wonder how elektra would have turn out if he went and directed it...probably a whole different movie than the one we got..but i never saw elektra..so idk....

[TheShadow]

He only produced elektra, He didnt direct so I wouldnt judge him by some directors crappy direction

[Carter-SL]

What about the KISS songs king of the night time world or hotter than hell? I think either one of those would be a good fit.

[FlameHead]

hmmm....im still a bit skeptical bout this movie but i will give msj the benefit of the doubt...i think im gonna have to see dd-dc..but like many other here i gonna have to give props and thnks to msj to actually come to this board and answer fans question...i wonder how elektra would have turn out if he went and directed it...probably a whole different movie than the one we got..but i never saw elektra..so idk....

Trust me, you're lucky to not have seen it...

[RedIsNotBlue]

Ehhh. I watched Elektra and it was neither good or bad. It just should have never been made. I don't know if it is either the character or Jennifer Garner that made me feel that way but just skip a viewing Elektra.

[FlameHead]

That character is actually pretty cool... if they done her justice. It seems to me that they skipped all the cool stuff with her being an assasin and told the story of her coming out of that frame of mind. I would have preferred to see a story about her assasinhood, ya know?... and one without Jennifer Garner in the role.

[RedIsNotBlue]

That character is actually pretty cool... if they done her justice. It seems to me that they skipped all the cool stuff with her being an assasin and told the story of her coming out of that frame of mind. I would have preferred to see a story about her assasinhood, ya know?... and one without Jennifer Garner in the role.

Well I never really got into any Elektra comics...I just wasn't really interested. I know Jennifer Garner looks NOTHING like her but if the things in the movie were anything like the comic I don't know...just seems uninteresting to me.

[FlameHead]

Yeah, not being Greek really hinders Garner in the role. Sheesh. There's no getting her out of it now though. Her and Ben are workin on DareDevil 2 themselves, not that they're married and stuff they wanna work on the project together. Ahhh, how sweet...

[RedIsNotBlue]

Yeah, not being Greek really hinders Garner in the role. Sheesh. There's no getting her out of it now though. Her and Ben are workin on DareDevil 2 themselves, not that they're married and stuff they wanna work on the project together. Ahhh, how sweet...

Don't worry. The next Jennifer he works with will get rid of Garner. :o

[FlameHead]

LOL. True enough.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Well considering there isn't much going on right now in the Ghost Rider news world I think it is time to ask MSJ some more questions and hopefully he will come back to answer them.

1. How is the CGI coming along? Anything special would should know about?

2. Is there a specific date where you plan to have marketing go into full gear? When can we expect to see Ghost Rider being seen everywhere by the public?

3. The July 14th release. Was the release date changed to this for any reason? Are you going to be done with the post production earlier than expected?

[Uncanny Orb]

I'm wondering if the bike operates on it's own or can be controlled by GR when he's not on it.

[FlameHead]

Great idea Red. Hope he gets a chance to see this.

The only question I have at this moment (and it ties into your 2nd question Red) is when are we gettin' a teaser/trailer? We're all dyin' to see it.

[Mr Nick]

A few that come to mind:

1. How's it hangin' and how's the post-production going?

2. We know you've heard GR's voice (damn you!) But have the CG elements of Ghost Rider been finalised and, if so, how do they look?

3. Can you give any firm details on the composer or songs to be featured in the movie? There've been LOTS of ideas posted here on the Hype!

4. When can we expect to see a Ghost Rider trailer?

5. What's the most challenging thing you're facing in the post-production process?

:)

[RedIsNotBlue]

Great idea Red. Hope he gets a chance to see this.

The only question I have at this moment (and it ties into your 2nd question Red) is when are we gettin' a teaser/trailer? We're all dyin' to see it.

Well I think we have basically seen it already. I think the real question is when are we going to see the one with Ghost Rider in it. ;)

And I have another question I am not sure if it has been answered in the past though.

Are there any cliffhangers or setups in the movie for the future? Or has this been shot as a solo film on its own? Like in Batman Begins where at the end we see certain things that lead into the sequel.

[Kuato]

Like everybody else here I want to know when to expect a trailer of some sort.

When is the official teaster poster due?

When can we expect promotional photos of not just Cage but Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Wes Bentley, etc.?

How intense is the studio pressure when the film comes out after X3 and Superman? Do you think it will be hinderance to the film's Box Office prospects or a benefit?

What is Eva Mendes' phone number? ;)

[blades_shades]

Hey I have a question or 2.

1) What the hell is the budget of Ghost Rider??? First we heard 40 million, then 50 million, then some site said over 100 million (which I doubt). Can you give us a budget range???

2) Have you already started thinking about Ghost Rider 2, and if the first one is profitable enough...has Cage expressed interest in making more than 1 film? I know Marvel almost always make studios sign their big actors for 3 pic deals...but I somehow doubt Cage signed for Ghost Rider 1-3. Did he?

3) What other properties would you love a shot at? I've asked several directors including Goyer and all of them expressed interest in several properties...but the two constants funny enough were Thor and Silver Surfer.

4) Lastly since you're working with Sony on Ghost Rider have you heard anything on Luke Cage through the grapevine??? Obviously Nick is attached to that character by his name so he might have enough fan based interest to ask questions. From everything I know everyone is ready for this film but Sony and Singleton seems like his hands are tied.

[FlameHead]

Another question; Was Jonathan Hensleigh a writer (or attached in anyway) on this flick? We read on a couple of movie places that he was. Most of us wouldn't believe it until it was posted on IMDB (which is isn't still) but are still interested to know for sure.

[Triligors]

Have you used pictures of Ghost Rider and certain poses while directing the film, like you used Daredevil classic pictures for certain snap shots in the film?

MSJ mentioned this in the commentary, and as a DD fan I found all of these "inside references" to be great. Especially the staging of the Bullseye/Elektra fight. Reminded me note for note of the same panels from the comic book.

[Caliber]

How is the soundtrack coming along?
Is it going to be a score?
I don't know if this has been asked but can you descrbe how BlackHeart will look like?

[RedIsNotBlue]

How is the soundtrack coming along?
Is it going to be a score?
I don't know if this has been asked but can you descrbe how BlackHeart will look like?

Those are answered here (http://superherohype.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6390250&postcount=31)

[Elektra_Kirigi]

I Have a few:

1. Why was the release date moved up almost a full month? It's not like I'm not happy b/c the sooner, the better, but I'm concerned with will it give u enough time to prefect GR?

2. Avi Arad said that GR faces "a tidal wave" becuase he say "A Perfect Storm" blah blah WTH? I don't get what that means.

3. Does the Caretaker play the role of like Alfred or (not really) but the Preist from DD, someone he can talk to and find confort in?

4. How long of the first Act is young Johnny Blaze in? 15-20 minutes, almost like young Matt in DD?

[Kuato]

I have to say that I hope a little less time is spent on the young Johnny Blaze as compared to the young Matt Murdoch stuff from Daredevil. Or at least Ghost Rider has a longer running time to focus on the characters in the present.

[FlameHead]

One more question from me; How involved is Nic Cage in the process at this point?

[skorponok]

1. the IMDB has the composer listed as David Arnold who has also scored films such as CHANGING LANES, DIE ANOTHER DAY, and others, have you had meetings with him as of yet?

2. Daredevil 2...and Avi Arad's quote of saying "we'd make it in a second if we got the rights back from FOX" ;)

[BIGGUN]

Hmmm...
wanted to ask something that hasnt been thought of before....hopefully these havent:

1. How important do you feel fan input is on these type of films? Daredevil had quite a bit of input (both positive and negative) and did this have any effect on how you would handle Ghost Rider?

2. Many directors feel each new film that they do is a learning experience so that they can improve on their next project. Were there any lessons that you learned from working on Daredevil?

[Darth Elektra]

I loved his work! and I think he's the best director out there for GR,my questions would have to be:

1. Whats the Budget?
2.When is the trailer coming out?
3.Whats after GR,for you?(I really liked his work on DD!) Is there a sequel in the works?

[FlameHead]

Mainly just to bump this thread a little, I wanna ask another question; Does this movie lend itself to sequals or are you only concentrating on a solo movie at this time?

[RedIsNotBlue]

We have recently seen a possible toy line up with the following names. Gressel, Scarecrow, and Vengence. Are they in the movie?

[Mononoke]

In the Daredevil commentary, you mentioned the movie having an anime vibe, with the fluorescent lighting in the court room and train station scenes. Any more of that in GR?

[FlameHead]

Good questions guys... but, it looks like Mark is too busy with the movie to answer questions, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Good questions guys... but, it looks like Mark is too busy with the movie to answer questions, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

http://www.wilmatheater.org/images/patience.jpg

[FlameHead]

LOL. Nice pic.

You're right though.

[RedIsNotBlue]

LOL. Nice pic.

You're right though.

Haha...just saying that MSJ comes out of nowhere. :ghost:

[FlameHead]

Very true. I have a feeling he reads the posts often though... just doesn't reply to them.

[Uncanny Orb]

I hope he's reading my NO EYES posts. ;)

[FlameHead]

Yeah, I think a lot of us are hoping he sees that... or already has plans to do it that way. Either way though, I'll be happy with whatever.

[Retroman]

Apologies if this has been asked already

-Does Stan Lee make a cameo appearance in this movie at all?

-After seeing the great V For Vendetta posters i was wondering are SONY planning/designing a new types of posters for this movie?

-Will you, Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes or any of the other stars be going to any of the upcoming Cons?

-Any plans for Showest in 2006?

-Will there be any more filming in Australia or the US?If so, when and for what purpose?

Thanks.

[Mr Nick]

One more:

If Blackheart is to be shown in his demon form, will you be using his familiar spikey, inky look or will you be going for something completely new?

:confused:

[Darth Elektra]

When is the trailer going to come out!

Man I would do anything to see it!

[Geezer D]

How would one go about submitting an original piece of music for consideration for the soundtrack?

[Geezer D]

Ha, I just noticed the dates on this. Dead forum... OH WELL!

[Mr Nick]

There is a soundtrack thread somewhere. A Welsh band called Polarian actually posted a link to one of their songs a couple of months ago and it was very good.

:cool:

[RedIsNotBlue]

BUMP for MSJ.

Another question I didn't get an answer for in the last thread.

Any chance for me and some other Ghost Rider fans on here have a chance at being extras for the sequel? ;)

[craigaat]

Amen to that ^^

Also do you think you'll be able to release the movie you want to release? Or is it going to be like DD?

[Mr Nick]

BUMP for MSJ.

Another question I didn't get an answer for in the last thread.

Any chance for me and some other Ghost Rider fans on here have a chance at being extras for the sequel? ;)

That's so cheeky!

(raises hand and smiles hopefully)

:up:

[Dr.Dude]

-While the movie has Johnny Blaze in the starring role, it seems to be taking elements from both the '70s and '90s eras.... which of these two does it lean more towards?

-Will Mephisto, Blackheart, etc be shown in demon form? ;)

[Kanon]

-Does Stan Lee make a cameo appearance in this movie at all?
If not Stan Lee, We would get other artist cameos? perhaps as characters' last names, as in Daredevil?
Thanks :up:

[MSJ]

Hi guys.

Well, as I promised late last night I'd like to take some time to try and answer some questions about the flick. Thanks again for writing in and asking for updates. I know that we're all still dealing with this later release schedule and I know how hard it is to wait. But the good news is that all kinds of cool stuff is now coming our way. There won't be any more dry spells where months go by with no real news to report. Should make these boards a lot more fun to check in on, right? Okay, let's get started...

1. How is the CGI coming along? Anything special would should know about?

Kevin Mack and his team at Sony Imageworks are awesome. They have been working night and day to make Ghost Rider the coolest character in the Marvel Universe. I'm not going to lie to you -- it's been harder than anyone thought. CGI fire is known as one of the most difficult things to portray on film. There is a fire simulation program that they've created just for the movie that looks amazing, so that the fire moves naturally with Ghost Rider, whether he's walking or riding on the Hellcycle or standing in the wind atop a 75 story building. The incredibly tedious part is that the fire needs to be tweaked on a shot by shot basis. We analyze the fire constantly -- is it too rich, flickering too fast, too transparent, etc.? Also, how much fire, the hue of the flame, etc. depends on the Ghost Rider's mood. Naturally, most of the time his mood is pissed off! But there are times when we see the tortured side of him as well. And now that we're dialing in the flames as they pertain to Ghost Rider, we have to do the same thing with the Hellcycle. Of course, the villains all have different visual effects as well. So it's been a wild ride in the FX world.


2. I'm wondering if the bike operates on it's own or can be controlled by GR when he's not on it.

The bike has it's own personality and can move on it's own. We have a scene where Ghost Rider breaks out of jail and we intercut with Johnny's chopper as it transforms and breaks out of the impound to join him. The Hellcycle serves its master and will do anything to get to him when needed.


3. Can you give any firm details on the composer or songs to be featured in the movie? There've been LOTS of ideas posted here on the Hype!

Christopher Young will be scoring the movie and I'm thrilled. Christopher scored much of Spider-man 2 and is scoring Spider-man 3 after he finishes G.R. He's also scored The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the Hellraiser movies, and many many others. Best of all, he's a comic and horror geek! His office has a collection of HUNDREDS of jack-o-lanterns. He's perfect for this. In regards to the songs, they have yet to be finalized but you can expect classic and heavy rock. I made some great friends in Melbourne, Australia in the band Spiderbait and they'll be doing a track for the flick as well. There's more coming up but just talking at the moment. I'll keep you posted. As you can imagine, I get PMs regularly from people pushing their friend's band! Lots of CDs come into the production office.


4. When can we expect to see a Ghost Rider trailer?

I just saw a trailer the other day and it's great. We should have our first teaser our in the next few months. There's also been talk of a First Look at Ghost Rider, either on a new Ghost Rider movie site or perhaps through MTV. Either way, its all coming soon. And 'm sure that the Spider-man 3 trailer will be attached to us when we come out, which is cool.


5. What's the most challenging thing you're facing in the post-production process?

To be honest, I just went through it. Getting our release date moved around was tough. Tough emotionally but also tough logistically. I have sound, music, editing, publicity, and VFX to think about. There are a lot of people involved working for me right now that have plans for their next movie already and it's a lot to coordinate when the release date gets pushed like this. Again, it's all for the better. But it's still a pain in the ass!


6. Are there any cliffhangers or setups in the movie for the future? Or has this been shot as a solo film on its own? Like in Batman Begins where at the end we see certain things that lead into the sequel.

Without giving too much away, it's definitely a complete film on its own. It's not left open-ended as to this story. However, it does leave the door open in a really clever way as to what could be next.

When is the official teaster poster due?


7. Just saw this as well. Very soon. I'll give you guys updates when they'll be released. I've seen the hero poster along with a really great lenticular one sheet -- one that changes between Nic and Ghost Rider.


8. When can we expect promotional photos of not just Cage but Eva Mendes, Peter Fonda, Wes Bentley, etc.?

Also very soon. There will be character one sheets in theatres as well. Also, there will be a new website coming for the movie that will release lots of new photos and information, and even a first look at Ghost Rider. This will also be announced very shortly.


9. How intense is the studio pressure when the film comes out after X3 and Superman? Do you think it will be hinderance to the film's Box Office prospects or a benefit?

Obviously, we don't have to worry about them now. I feel comfortable that we could have done well in the summer even with those movies out. However, as I said before, those movies are sequels and remakes. It's harder when you're trying to do something unique. The audience doesn't know who we are yet. But that will change soon enough. I tend to think that a healthy box office is good for everyone. I want Superman and X-Men and Pirates to all do great. It's good for everybody.


10. What is Eva Mendes' phone number?

212-479-7990 (at least, this is the number she gave me...)


11. What the hell is the budget of Ghost Rider??? First we heard 40 million, then 50 million, then some site said over 100 million (which I doubt). Can you give us a budget range???

You should have kept going and not doubted! Seriously, this stuff is usually top secret but now with the Variety article it's all out in the open. But what are you gonna do? Big star + Big stunts + Flaming head = $$$.


12) Have you already started thinking about Ghost Rider 2, and if the first one is profitable enough...has Cage expressed interest in making more than 1 film? I know Marvel almost always make studios sign their big actors for 3 pic deals...but I somehow doubt Cage signed for Ghost Rider 1-3. Did he?

We would all love to return to make another one. We had a blast and Nic loves this character. But that will be up to the fans.


13) What other properties would you love a shot at? I've asked several directors including Goyer and all of them expressed interest in several properties...but the two constants funny enough were Thor and Silver Surfer.

Love the Surfer. I've always like Thor but he was never one of my favorites. Cap would be amazing. Mostly I want GR 2!


14) Lastly since you're working with Sony on Ghost Rider have you heard anything on Luke Cage through the grapevine??? Obviously Nick is attached to that character by his name so he might have enough fan based interest to ask questions. From everything I know everyone is ready for this film but Sony and Singleton seems like his hands are tied.

I actually did a rewrite on that script before I started filming Ghost Rider. It's a blast. Singleton loved it, so did the producers. I know there was one specific actor they were really interested in but that fell apart. I have no doubt it will get made and be a really fun movie. I actually did a reverse homage in the script. When the hero is confronted by police and he has to come up with a cover name for himself he spots a Nic Cage movie playing across the street. I figure Nic took his name from the superhero, so I'll have the superhero take his name from Nic!


15) Another question; Was Jonathan Hensleigh a writer (or attached in anyway) on this flick? We read on a couple of movie places that he was. Most of us wouldn't believe it until it was posted on IMDB (which is isn't still) but are still interested to know for sure.

IMDB is a bizarre site that tends to get a lot wrong. Jonathan has never been a writer on the Ghost Rider movie.


16) Does the Caretaker play the role of like Alfred or (not really) but the Preist from DD, someone he can talk to and find confort in?

Caretaker is very close to what he was like in the comics. He's a confidant to Johnny but he's also an important character in his own right. Sam Elliot plays him and he's just fantastic. Very gruff and funny and cool.


17) How long of the first Act is young Johnny Blaze in? 15-20 minutes, almost like young Matt in DD? I have to say that I hope a little less time is spent on the young Johnny Blaze as compared to the young Matt Murdoch stuff from Daredevil. Or at least Ghost Rider has a longer running time to focus on the characters in the present.

It's shorter than that. We have so much story to tell with adult Johnny and the villains, that I only need to get out the essentials before delving into the current day. My problem is that I fall in love with my actors and don't want to cut anything. But I know there will be beautiful stories from Johnny's youth that won't make the final cut. But that's all for the betterment of the story. And nothing gets lost on DVD.


18) One more question from me; How involved is Nic Cage in the process at this point?

As much as he can be, with Nic's crazy schedule. He just saw the movie for the first time and loved it. But he always has ideas to make it better. It's great working with him because he knows this character so well. We can talk in shorthand. He's the perfect Johnny Blaze.


19) The IMDB has the composer listed as David Arnold who has also scored films such as CHANGING LANES, DIE ANOTHER DAY, and others, have you had meetings with him as of yet?

Good old IMDB. No, it's Christopher Young. I've never even met David Arnold.


20) How important do you feel fan input is on these type of films? Daredevil had quite a bit of input (both positive and negative) and did this have any effect on how you would handle Ghost Rider?

Fan input is extremely important (that's why I'm here on the boards). If you don't please the core group you'll never get the chance to branch out to a larger audience.


21) Many directors feel each new film that they do is a learning experience so that they can improve on their next project. Were there any lessons that you learned from working on Daredevil?

So many. Mostly, the pressures inherent in making a big movie. It's not like making a regular movie (if there is such a thing). There's always pressure on every movie you make. But when the money is big the pressures are big. There's a lot more on the line. It's always a big learning experience. Sometimes you screw up. But as long as you learn why and how it happened you'll be a better filmmaker for it. I know a lot more about visual effects now, about camera, and about managing my crew. I also would never get into a project like this without the complete backing of the studio. Sony has been terrific in that sense.

22) In the Daredevil commentary, you mentioned the movie having an anime vibe, with the fluorescent lighting in the court room and train station scenes. Any more of that in GR?

That was appropriate for DD. But this is a much different vibe. A gothic western. It's got its own look and feel.


23) While the movie has Johnny Blaze in the starring role, it seems to be taking elements from both the '70s and '90s eras.... which of these two does it lean more towards?

Definitely more from the original Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider. I took Blackheart and Caretaker from the 90's Danny Ketch era, and the look of Ghost Rider with the spikes and chains feels more from that era as well, but as for Johnny's storyline it's straight out of the early stuff.


24) Will Mephisto, Blackheart, etc be shown in demon form?

Yes. You'll see flashes of it in the trailer coming out. We manage to honor the spirit of their comic look while making it work for the film. Really spooky and cool. I think it's going to be amazing, especially Blackheart's final evolved state by the end of the film!


Okay, must get back to work now. Thanks again for all of your questions. And thanks again for your patience with the new date.

Peace

MSJ

[Uncanny Orb]

I'm wondering if the bike operates on it's own or can be controlled by GR when he's not on it.

The bike has it's own personality and can move on it's own. We have a scene where Ghost Rider breaks out of jail and we intercut with Johnny's chopper as it transforms and breaks out of the impound to join him. The Hellcycle serves its master and will do anything to get to him when needed.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god this is great! :up:

[#1Batmanfan]

thanks for answering our questions msj and keep up the good work cant wait to see this movie :) !!!! o ya msj please tell sony to release Ultraviolet the movie kurt wimmer is making i want to see that movie just as bad !!!

[FlameHead]

Mark, thank you very much for answering our questions. This should hold us at bay for a couple more months and then we should start seeing some of these awesome things that you're talkin' about. I'm very jealous that you've already seen it all... including the movie as it stands now. But, I guess you have the right to do so, considering it's you baby... and what a great father you make for the movie!

Thanks a billion. It's truly appreciated that you take the time for us fans!

[FlameHead]

Hey everyone. If you haven't noticed, I put most of these answers in their own appropriate thread for a more focused discussion. Most times I find that people don't really discuss his answers in this kinda thread. It's usually just thanking MSJ... which is great, dont' get me wrong. He deserves much thanks.

[Kuato]

Thanks for giving us the time of day MSJ. As depressing as it is to have to wait for over another frigging year for this bad boy it is quite special that MSJ actually pays attention to the little guys.

[Elektra_Kirigi]

OMG he answered my question! That is like really HUGE for me! I love MSJ and for him to personally answer a question that I asked is... a lot. THANK YOU! I know it was a minor question but still!

[FlameHead]

Has anyone tried Eva's number yet? Anyone pick up?

[Uncanny Orb]

I was wondering that too, probably some whore house in Australia.

[Compi716]

Thanks for the awsome news MSJ! Everything sounds great!

And it really is a shame about the release date being moved back to February '07. But if that lets GR make more money at the box office, then so be it.

[hippie_hunter]

Do you have any plans to do any other Marvel movies, or even DC movies, after Ghost Rider?

[FlameHead]

Oh come on now. Mark wouldn't betray us Marvelites and do a DC movie. I'd never forgive him if he did.

Just kidding Mark. You'd probably be the one person that could get me into DC.

[BIGGUN]

thanks Mark! and thanks FH for moving those answers to their own thread....helps mucho.
w/ the sad, depressing news about the release date this new info is very cool indeed.....like how the bike obeys and "serves its master" as a separate living entity...thats awesome. also more clarification on whether or not Blackheart and Mephisto would be seen in their true demon forms.
damn the wait is killing me!! :mad:

[craigaat]

You think the Hellcycle will be like K.I.T.T?

[BIGGUN]

You think the Hellcycle will be like K.I.T.T?

lol...no nothing that extreme. im guessing just how it was done in the 90s book...on very rare occasions the bike would come to GR's side when necessary. thihk if they did that gag more than twice it would seem rather goofy

[screenamesuck]

Awesome responses. If you answer anymore I have this question....

I know you said you would rather do GR2 before moving onto another Marvel character. WHEN the second one gets made who would you like to see as the main villian. There are way to many for me to choose from but Blackout would be one I'd like to see in the movie, even if he isn't the main villian and I'm sure Scarecrow would not appear due to the batman film.

[Mononoke]

:eek: He answered my question! :D Oh wow. Thanks so much MSJ. What a perfect belated birthday present!

I love this piece of news.
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In regards to the songs, they have yet to be finalized but you can expect classic and heavy rock. I made some great friends in Melbourne, Australia in the band Spiderbait and they'll be doing a track for the flick as well.

MSJ
That is so cool. Spiderbait! Awesome! :D

[BIGGUN]

1st time ive heard of Spiderbait...but i check this link for some samples..
http://www.spiderbait.com.au/releases/index.asp?album=greatesthits
pretty cool stuff...

also check out the video of "On My Way" ...not only does the lead singer wear a black leather jacket w/ gloves while riding a bicycle but he is wearing a t-shirt that both myself and Flamehead are very familiar w/...heh
wonder if that track will be in the movie somewhere

[Crowley9]

Here's a question: What was Nick's reaction to the changed release date?

[Mr Nick]

THANKS MARK! AWESOME, AWESOME DETAILS THERE.

Gentlemen, I now declare the news drought officially over. And I am very, very excited.

:D

[Riding Ghost]

This really bites :(
But at least I get to live forever.....2006 is going to feel like an eternity.

Thanks MSJ for coming by so soon after the news, it really does take the edge off. I especially liked confirmation that hard rock will be used instead of some other styles that had been discussed, also the apparent detailed marketing plan being formulated.

I just hope that most of next year isn't like the last few month, as in, nothing happening, and deafening silence on GR news.

[Riding Ghost]

Has anyone tried Eva's number yet? Anyone pick up?

That was awesome :up:
I can't believe MSJ gave us the actual number Eva would give out. Very classy gal.

LMFAO

[Advanced Dark]

Thanks MSJ for answering all my questions especially the one about the other characters you're intersted in. I'm glad to see you making GR your baby. Regarding Luke Cage Marvel e-mailed me the other day saying they're looking for a writer still. FYI.

[Advanced Dark]

I knew it! I knew the bike was alive or organic just by the look of it. It looks like the bike will have some heavy CGI tweaking with it as well. When I first saw the pics of the bike way back when I posted that I thought MSJ was up to something like that. :)

[Batman1939]

MSJ is gonna make Ghost Rider kick ass.
Heres my question:
How dark is the film is it like Batman Begins or darker?

[Advanced Dark]

It looks to me that Ghost Rider will be more colorful (though dark) with a lot more subtle humor from Nic Cage than Christian Bale could for Batman Begins. I just pray there's not any or too many 80's one liners. LOL

I'm also curious if Ghost Rider is going to talk or let his actions do the talking. That's probably a tough voice to do without sounding corny. I also am hoping he can make some cool demons unlike Goyer's Dracula which was a B-Movie joke.

[BIGGUN]

I'm also curious if Ghost Rider is going to talk or let his actions do the talking. That's probably a tough voice to do without sounding corny. I also am hoping he can make some cool demons unlike Goyer's Dracula which was a B-Movie joke.


MSJ already confirmed awhile back that GR will talk by saying something along the lines that he heard what the sound people had done w/ Nic's voice for the GR character. got the impression that he will sound completely different from what Cage normally sounds like.

[Advanced Dark]

That's good. I missed that. Thanks.