Nicolas Cage Talks Ghost Rider

Now this might not be the kind of image you'd normally choose to kickstart your day, but you've got to admire Nicolas Cage's balls. Several times over the last few years, the avid comic book fan has come this close to starring in his very own superhero movie, only to see one by one, the opportunity pass him by. First of all, he was going to play the Man of Steel in Tim Burton's Superman Reborn, before it went tits-up. Then he was lined up to play The Green Goblin in Spider-Man, but scheduling conflicts scuppered that. But he's never given up (which is where our torturous balls metaphor comes in) and next January will see Cage finally get his wish when filming starts in Melbourne on Ghost Rider, the latest big-budget flick from Daredevil director (and ace foosball player), Mark Steven Johnson. Empire had the opportunity recently to sit down with Cage, who talked in depth about the project, in which Cage will play Johnny Blaze, a circus motorcycle stuntman who, after a series of tragic events, is tricked by Satan into becoming the Spirit of Vengeance aka the Ghost Rider; a flame-skulled, motorcycle-riding demon. But with Johnny's pure heart initially over-riding the Satanic imprint, the Ghost Rider becomes a vigilante, charged with cleansing impure souls via various arcane weapons, including the blistering penance stare. "What I love about this idea for a comic book is that, if you think about it, it