It really seemed like we were finally going to get Garth Ennis' Preacher this time -- the dark, funny, and controversial comic book series seemed perfect for HBO. Isn't that what they do, after all?

Apparently not. Mark Steven Johnson told Comics Continuum that they've passed on the series. "We were budgeting and everything and it was getting really close to going. But the new head of HBO felt it was just too dark and too violent and too controversial. Which, of course, is kind of the point! It was a very faithful adaptation of the first few books, nearly word for word. They offered me the chance to redevelop it but I refused. I've learned my lesson on that front and I won't do it again. So I'm afraid it's dead at HBO."

But, Johnson says that he's heard that someone is trying to obtain the rights for a big screen adaptation, and that he hopes it happens -- and that whoever nabs it can do the stories justice in a series of films. "Someone" doesn't narrow it down much, but shall we let our imaginations run wild? Frankly, in this world where the legendarily un-filmable (Lord of the Rings, Watchmen) is being made every day, I can't believe Preacher remains untouched. Isn't every studio dying for its own mature comic franchise? Isn't there a daring young filmmaker who's just dying to be boycotted, picketed, and harassed? Aren't we constantly hearing that all publicity, no matter how bad and hysterical, is desirable? Let's put it to the test. Whoever that "someone" is that's angling for the rights, may they succeed, and get Preacher on the big screen.

Last night I was watching The Rock with a stranded house guest (first snow = flight cancellations) who really loves Nicolas Cage. Near the beginning of the movie (one of my favorite guilty pleasures), she asked why Cage does these kinds of movies, and I replied that he must simply love doing dumb action. It's got to be easier and more fun than trying to win another Oscar, that's for sure. It's not surprising, coincidentally, to find some quotes from the actor on ComingSoon.net this morning in which he proposes a couple more dumb action movies he'd like to star in. The interesting thing, though, is that they're more sequels -- something Cage hadn't seemed too interested in prior to National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Of course, the only reason he never did a sequel before is more likely because his movies weren't big enough hits to warrant a follow-up. I doubt he would have turned down Snake Eyes 2.

The first movie he asks for is Ghost Rider 2, which he says could happen if only someone gives him a call. It's actually pretty surprising that nobody has contacted him about a Ghost Rider sequel considering it made more than $200 million worldwide, and it had a shockingly great opening -- the best 4-day President's Day weekend gross ever, in fact. Plus, director Mark Steven Johnson claimed last summer that there were talks for GR2. Cage said it would be "fun" to return to the comic book character with the flaming skull head (see: he does it cuz it's "fun"). The other hoped for sequel is a third National Treasure (the second, Book of Secrets, is out later this month), though he is interested in expanding the series so "it becomes more and more International Treasure." Maybe Cage is jealous of Indiana Jones, but he'd like his character, Ben Gates, to have to travel to London, Paris, Egypt, Africa, Asia and more. He said, "that would be a lot of fun for me." (see: he does it cuz it's "fun"). Well, Nic, here's what would be a lot of fun for me: Con Air 2. As long as you enjoy doing dumb action, why not bring back the funniest, dumbest action you've ever made?

Before I begin, let me just admit I am not a fan of Mark Steven Johnson's directing work nor am I a fan of his most recent effort, Ghost Rider. His other films, the equally tepid Daredevil and the so-so Simon Birch did demonstrate a rather meager level of competence, but left me, well, pretty unsatisfied. Given all of that, it was with a great deal of trepidation that I read a recent interview with Johnson over at IGN wherein he discusses, among other things, the development of a sequel to Ghost Rider and that he might, unfortunately, have something to do with it.

In the interview, given during promotion of the upcoming DVD release of Ghost Rider, Johnson discuss many things including another Ghost Rider film, his involvement in it, what villains he would like to see in the sequel and what else he would like to be directing if he doesn't end up doing a sequel. "We're talking about it, yeah, talking about it," says Johnson of Ghost Rider 2. "I don't know what I'm going to do, to be honest. After Daredevil and this ... it takes so long, these movies. I really want something different, and the pressure of the fan community is always so great."

Given the constraints on his time and the fan community's "pressures," what would Johnson perhaps prefer to do next instead of a Ghost Rider sequel? "I would like to do something more comedy-based," he says, "go back to my roots like the Grumpy Old Men movies and do something with effects. I love effects; I love working with them. So I don't know about for myself, if that's in the cards for me." So, he wants to go back to comedies and not make any more comic book movies because they take too long and the fans expect too much? Well, given what he's done with Daredevil and Ghost Rider, I think never doing another comic book movie ever again is a fine career choice. I wish him luck.

In a new article over at Sci-Fi Wire, super-hot Eva Mendes describes her experiences working with co-star Nicholas Cage on the upcoming Ghost Rider film based, of course, on the Marvel comic of the same name. Some of you may have read a previous post or two by me wherein I express my skepticism that the movie version of Ghost Rider will be much more than a steaming pile of art. To help you see things my way, let me give you a little taste of how Eve Mendes describes working with Nic Cage on the film. "He would have the script, and he would come to the set and do the opposite of what was on the page," said Mendes in the article. That sounds like a positive working environment, no?

But wait, it gets better. Mendes also added this tidbit: "He just kind of flips it. Then he can make the most mundane sentences sound really heavy. I think he's so into what he's doing. He's such a professional." Hmm, that's a pretty good way to describe the script your working with, Eva: mundane. Sounds promising. And I just have to wonder about calling Cage's behavior "professional." I tend to think actually working with the script and following it while shooting would be the professional way of doing it. Discarding the script completely and doing whatever the heck you want? Man, is this movie gonna be great!

The entire concept of Nic Cage being "born to play Johnny Blaze" strikes me as amazingly humorous. The guy has been making statements like this since his initial casting, and my general reaction is two-fold. First, I do really appreciate a comic book movie actor who really knows and cares about his subject outside of his role in the film. I think it is great that nobody had to coach Cage on who his character was, or fill him in on the background of the Marvel universe. I love the guy for that reason, and I'm glad he's getting to fulfill a dream. Heaven knows I'd love to be in a comic book movie. Second, hahaha. Born to be the Ghost Rider. I've heard people declare "this is the role I was born to play" before, but typically not talking about a flaming skeleton on a chain motorcycle.

This got me to thinking, what other celebrities might have been born to specific comic book roles and may not even know it yet? Or even outside of celebrities ... how many of you were born to play a super hero? The list is pretty slim for me, but if I were born to a hero, it is probably Commander Keen. How long do you suppose we'll be waiting until we see a Commander Keen flick?

Ready or not, Ghost Rider is on the way. Personally, I'm still looking forward to the flick, despite my generally negative attitude and very low expectations. It'll probably be another Elektra, but who knows ... maybe we'll get lucky. And if nothing else, once it is in cinemas I'll be able to stop writing about the sucker. Unless, of course, they start thinking sequels. Nah. Until then, however, I am obligated as your geek beat writer to bring you the latest in Ghost Rider news.

First, the official blog has been updated with a brand new poster. Yes, it is loading in a media player and not an image viewer. That's because it is a lenticular poster. For those of you who've never needed to know the word "lenticular" before now, it means the poster has changing artwork. Weee! It starts with Johnny Blaze's (Nic Cage) face, and turns into the flaming skull. It actually is sorta cool, in a geeky way.

Second, Sony has finally got around to launching a full, official website. It has everything you'd expect from a movie website: character bios, movie trailers, a synopsis, downloadable computer media and little online games. Seriously, I want to meet the guy (or girl) who has Nic Cage as Ghost Rider buddy icon. If you're really that into the Rider, wouldn't you probably want a classic comic book image of him?

As a huge fan of movies and comic books, believe me when I say I'm sincerely trying to get excited for Mark Steven Johnson's Ghost Rider film starring Nicholas Cage. I have nothing against Mr. Johnson or Mr. Cage, and if Mr. Johnson is to be believed, Ghost Rider will be the greatest comic book-to-film adaptation ever made ... and It's just me who thinks the movie is going to suck big time. I have no reason to doubt his enthusiasm or sincerity regarding his film -- I would expect nothing less from the director. But still, it's difficult for me to expect anything more than total disaster given the promo materials put out for the film so far.

Maybe its just that I haven't seen the right materials to spark my interest and overcome my gnawing cynicism that the film is on the bullet train to sucksville? Or perhaps all I need is new or different material that I can see on the big screen -- instead of on television or the internet? Maybe that will turn things around in my mind and allow me to see Ghost Rider for the cinematic gem that it must surely be? If so, then I'm in luck (and so are you other skeptics out there) because Sony Pictures is going to be showing even more Ghost Rider promo stuff in front of several movies starting this December. How do I know? Well, the scoop came from the director himself (via Comic Book Movie):

"Yup. It's true. For the whole month of December Ghost Rider will be playing it's FIRST LOOK, which is a few minutes of clips and interviews, in front of PG-13 and R-rated movies at all AMC theaters. Again, we're governed by the MPAA, so don't expect anything too intense there, but it's a nice segment. There may be a softer "PG" version running before NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM but that's not for sure. Posters will start going up in the next week or so, and then standees, and then REALLY cool outdoor stuff that will be on the side of buildings and billboards. December really kicks things off in a big way."

Again, I cannot fault the man for his gushing enthusiasm. He certainly has that in spades. If that's all it took, Ghost Rider would shatter all negative preconceptions about it and be a monster hit for sure. if only that's all it took. Ghost Rider drops into a theater near you in the much-coveted February 16, 2007 release slot.

A new Ghost Rider trailer debuted recently. Despite my desire to enjoy this film, I found the trailer to be a disappointment. "Corny," I believe, was the word I used to describe it, and I stand by the description. Apparently, I wasn't the only one to be slightly underwhelmed by the tease, and director Mark Steven Johnson has spoke up to explain. He offers the following four reasons* for why you might not have been impressed:

1. PG-13 rules governing trailers are different in some ways from those governing movies. These rules prevent, among other things, showing people on fire in PG-13 movies.** Obviously, restricting people on fire greatly reduced Johnson's ability to display the transformation scene. So for those of you worried -- no, that isn't all there is to it. It'll be far more "intense" when it hits theaters.
2. The Voice of the Rider cannot be judged according to how it sounds on an internet trailer. It is a multi-track, multi-layered voice with sound effects of screeching cats and rusty chains and the like which get horribly condensed into a single track for the internet.
3. Humor. I don't fully understand this reason, but Johnson explains the film and the character are very "dark and intimidating" to the general public. There is some humor there to counterbalance the intensity, but it is ultimately not a funny movie.
4. Blackheart is going to look far more awesome than you can imagine. He will be "demonic and spikey," which I suppose are very good demon sorts of traits. It'd be more than a bit baffled if he told me Blackheart was going to look anything other than demonic.

While a fair amount of what he is saying makes sense, you've got to wonder about a movie when the director has to come out and defend the trailer.

*He offered five reasons in total, but the fifth was regarding the movie poster, and was unrelated to the trailer itself.
**This is according to Johnson. I personally do not even pretend to understand the inscrutable ways of the MPAA.

I know there is a lot to worry about with the upcoming Ghost Rider flick. And yes, I know the news of it getting bumped back from summer until February is a terrible omen. Nonetheless, hope springs eternal in the heart of this geek, hope which has been largely fueled by the passion of those involved with the project. Nicolas Cage was a comic book collector, and director Mark Steven Johnson grew up a Marvel fan as well. Turning a Marvel film over to folks who really understand Marvel is a great move, and has left me clinging to shreds of hope. It probably won't be popular, but I can still hope it will be good.

Us fans can check up on Johnson's thoughts on the project at his official blog. He's taken in a handful of questions from interested fans and provided some good answers. And you can tell he's a fan from reading his replies ... at one point he launches into a detailed explanation of the origins of the Ghost Rider franchise. Johnson promises payoff for True Believers, as well as the inevitable sequel and video game action should the film meet any success.

Okay folks, the third installment of the Ghost Rider video production blog is up over on the official Sony website, and as your friend, I'm suggesting you check it out so we can have an open, honest discussion about this ... because I have a confession to make. No more sneaking around here, I've got nothing but honesty for you toda,y after watching writer/director Mark Steven Johnson explain a bit about the Johnny-Blaze-to-Ghost-Rider transformation.

Watched the clip? Okay, good.

Yes, some of the transformation looks very CGI heavy. Yes, the short bit with Ghost Rider cruising down the side of a building is obviously CGI -- good CGI, mind you, but clearly CGI. That all said: Holy cow, am I excited for this picture. I know we're all supposed to be worried about it, talking about how Sony pushed it to February from a summer launch, and how Nicolas Cage is the star, etc. etc. But man, I just want to see a flaming skull flying around the streets on a fast motorcycle, breaking things and hurting people. Am I worried that it'll perform poorly? Sure I am. But I'm beginning to believe that I personally will really enjoy this one.