As with my revision of X-Men '00
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ager/news/?a=47647
my Spider-Man '02 revision
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ager/news/?a=50361
my older DareDevil '03 revision
http://media.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ager/news/?a=23157
my Hulk '03 revision
http://comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ager/news/?a=50529
my Punisher '04 revision
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ager/news/?a=51274
and my Fantastic 4 '05 revision
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ager/news/?a=51930
I have compiled a version of Ghost Rider that, well, has absolutely nothing to do with Nic Cage.
In the 1st of the trilogy, titled Ghost Rider (duh!) this is what would have happened.
In Biblical times, before it all, When Heaven battled Hell... Every angel and every demon fight over betrayal and (you know, that whole thing). Highlighted in the battle is Uriel, the angel, Mephisto, a demon, most feel is the devil himself, Zarothos, a demon from another realm outside of Mephisto's, who may be more powerful than Mephisto himself, and the 4-Horsemen.
Zarothos edges out Mephisto, and ultimately sends him to the depths of "Hell" and Uriel creates a medallion that absorbs and unifies the 4-Horsemen and projects the combined powers of them in order to defeat Zarothos, turning him to stone, and preventing the demon from taking over Heaven and Earth for ever...
Uriel hands the medallion to a clan of blood caretakers and explains the power within. If the medallion falls into the wrong hands, the spirits of vengeance, as was there official title (humans dubbed them the Horsemen) would become the unwilling soldiers of the wielder, killing anyone for there master.
Thousands of years later, Zarothos is resurrected, and by gaining a following rather quickly, begins to garner more power than the demon, Mephisto. Mephisto alerts his minions and has them attack the caretakers. Though Mephisto uses it to enslave Zarothos and the Horsemen within his realm, Uriel intervenes in time to prevent Mephisto from unleashing the 4, and the more powerful Zarothos upon the world. In conversion it is explained that with them under Mephisto's control, he can summon the Spirit of Vengeance (SOV), combined with the power of the also enslaved Zarothos, to kill any human, thus owning said human's soul, gaining more power himself (the more souls, the more power a demon possesses.)
Mephisto and his brother (again revealed in conversation), Uriel, bargain. He may only use the SOV and Zarothos to possess a human if the human desires such a thing, which will only be granted when said human asks for such power.
Thousands of years, yet again, later. Noble grew up with his abusive father, Pastor Kale, in the eighteenth century. One day Noble fell in love with a young black girl named Magdelena. Because of Magdelena's skin color, Noble hid his love for her from his father. One day, the Pastor caught the 2 together. She was only days away from birthing their child.
The Pastor secretly made a deal, long ago, with Mephisto to have the entire town regard him as it's greatest occupant, treating him as an untouchable saint, as it were, in exchange for his soul.
Disgraced, the Pastor claimed Magdelena was a witch and, therefor, was to be burned at the stake. Knowing that Noble would object, his father had him drugged, tortured, and beaten in the a cellar.
moments before the town-folk grabbed her from her cell, Mephisto appeared. " I sense the birth of your son is near. If you want to live, if you want your son to live, then you must fight back. I can help you summon the horde of Furies to avenge you. They will mercilessly kill those you have wronged you."
She releases the Furies. To her dismay, the furies ravage every member of the town, guilty or otherwise. Noble wakes up and breaks out of the cellar, only to witness hell bon Earth. He darts to his father, to avenge his lover. Pastor summons his lord, Mephisto, much to the surprise of Noble.
The Pastor asks to be spared and Mephisto tells him that a man possed by with the SOV can stop the Furies easily, but denies that privilege to the Pastor who's soul is not worthy. Noble volunteers to become the Dark lord's Bounty Hunter. Meanwhile Magdelena gives birth to her child in her cell.
So strong was Zarothos, that his likeness has overtaken the Horsemen, and the SOV, atop a flaming horse, in the likeness of the horses ridden by the Horsemen, saves what's left of the town. He changes back to human form and he and his father rush to his lover.
As he releases his wife, he holds her and his newborn son. No sooner does the Pastor stab him in the back, literally, and kill him. he bleeds out over his son, his lover screams. "That boy ain't gonna be my legacy. He ain't no kin o' mine." With that, she kills the Pastor, takes her son, and runs. Mephisto appears ahead of her and explains that her son has drank the soul of his father and the SOV. He will pass down the curse to every generation that follows. One day, his bloodline will call upon the Dark Lord again, and he will have his bounty hunter, his Ghost Rider.
About 30 minutes into the movie the title appears across the screen.
GHOST RIDER
Twenty years ago, Naomi and her only child, Johnny, a 8-year-old, somberly drive away from the hospital where her husband will spend his final hours. Johnny turns to his mother and cries "I would do anything to get my Daddy, even for one more day." She snaps at him, 'Don't you dare say that. As much as we both love your Daddy, sometimes our emotions can lead us into temptation..." He says "I know mommy, and deliver us from evil." "Not always, Johnny. Did I ever tell you about our ancestor, Noble Kale?"
Later that day, Naomi gets a phone call that her husband is fighting to live, and will live for another (measly) 2 days. Johnny runs in exited from the call and knows it's about his father. Come to find out a strange man saw Johnny eating ice cream on his front steps and when asked why Johnny was sad, he told the man about his father.
The man told Johnny that, if he were to give him this (Johnny points to his chest) by blowing a small breathe into his cupped hands, that he could see his Daddy's smile again...
When the 2 arrive at the hospital, Johnny runs into his father's arms, who's resting painfully in the bed, covered in tubes. His father looks at him, says I'll always love you, smiles, and dies.
Several nights later, Naomi is approached by Mephisto, who explains that he was the stranger. She makes a deal for her soul in exchange for her son's. She will be his maiden for eternity if he let's Johnny go. Mephisto adds, that she must leave her son in order for him to agree. "Leave and never look back." She leaves him with an old friend, Crash, for a few hours, only to never return again. Mephisto laughs "You may have saved him today, but soon, he will yearn to bargain again."
That's about 20 minutes long.
Present day. Losing his mother caused Johnny to repress many of his memories. Crash Simpson helped Johnny by fabricating his past with the hope that it would be less painful than the truth. Now believing that his real mother was Clara Blaze, had died.
Blaze would eventually join Crash in his traveling stunt show, the Crash Simpson Stunt Cycle Extravaganza. Along the way, a new member of their pit crew, Roxanne, hit it off rather well with Blaze.
Crash had become a real father figure in Blaze's eyes, and on learning of Crash's life-threatening cancer, Blaze turned to the occult. His studies led him to a spell which supposedly could summon Satan himself. Johnny was unaware that this was, in fact, his second encounter with Mephisto. Desperate to save Crash, Blaze sold his soul to Mephisto in return for Crash's cancer to be cured.
Crash Simpson's cancer was cured and Johnny believed he would live; however, Crash soon died after a stunt trying to jump over 22 cars. Mephisto, when confronted by Blaze over Crash's death, declared that he had kept his end of the bargain. Johnny's exact words in the bargain had been for Crash to be spared the cancer which was killing him, not for him to live, though this had been Johnny's intent. True to his word, Mephisto had ensured that Crash had not died of cancer, but instead had lost his life during the failed jump, which Mephisto quickly pointed out when he came to claim his prize. Blaze was transformed into the SOV known as the Ghost Rider.
He was forced to punish the wicked and evil upon Mephisto's demands whenever needed. Whenever he was in the presence of evil he would transform into the Ghost Rider, to exact the devil's revenge, returning the evil to Hell. Blaze was not completely lost in the transformation however, and would also help the innocent when they were in danger.
He battles Mephisto in the end, to show that, while his soul, when dead, is Mephisto's property, he is alive now and will fight until the end. Zarothos also fight's to overcome Johnny's soul. In the end, Zarothos momentarily takes over a defeats Mephisto yet again, only for Johnny to take control back and humanize.
Uriel finds Blaze and releases him of his duties to Mephisto. The catch, however, is that with out Mephisto's powers enslaving Zarothos, Zarothos may be able to overcome Blaze, erase his soul and exist without him, taking over the Earth realm.
Ghost Rider 2: Spirits of Vengeance
Roxanne and Johnny struggle together. Johnny is hauted at noght with horrible nightmares of the Zarothos taking over his soul and of the villainous Nightmare, himself, taunting Johnny.
90% of the movie takes place in the twisted Realm of the Nightmares
Nightmare and Zarothos, both enemies of Mephisto, the most powerful demon right now, work together in the nightmare realm to coax Johnny into releasing Zarothos. Nightmare convingly deals with Blaze and promises to release him of Zarothos, who is slowing devouring his soul. as this is very true, Johnny excepts.
Once Blaze realizes the damage Zarothos can cause if not captured by Mephisto or controlled by Blaze himself, he opts to fight back. Zarothos would have the power to posses any human, multiple at one time, and take over the Earth realm.
Blaze, as Ghost Rider defeats Nightmare and then Zarothos. He regrettably leaves Roxanne because his situation may be too dangerous and he loves her too much to see her get hurt.
When he is awake in the movie he has found a friend. The stranger gives him a lot of great advise about all sorts of things. At the conclusion of the movie he realizes that his 'friend' was a disguised Mephisto. He flashes back to his childhood and we see new footage of him eating the ice cream, speaking to... the disguised Mephisto. The movie ends with a very depressed and screwed up Johnny Blaze... alone
Ghost Rider 3: Hearts of Darkness
Johnny Blaze has hit the roads, traveling through towns and cities, looking to help the innocent. He enters a bar in a small town called Christ's Crown and senses an eeriness about the town. He does some exploring and finds out that there is a demon there that is killing the people and absorbing their essence to gain strength. The demon also lobotomizes the people he does not kill and feeds off of them for lustful urges.
He meets a small band of people that are willing to fight back rather than run. Of those people, he befriends the 9-year-old Lucy Crumm, her mother, Flo, and her Aunt, Jeanie, whom he falls for. "My name's Norma Jean, but just call me Jeanie."
The Demon has no known name but the rebels call him Deathwatch, referring to the euphoric pleasure he has when others die.
In the end he defeats Deathwatch, but not before Flo is killed. Jeanie and Blaze no that they can not be together, not without endangering her and especially now that she has become Lucy's gardian.
"It doesn't matter if there is an edge, or if I occasionally cross it. As long as the innocent are protected, my cause is just."
THE END
THE CAST
Mephisto is Ed Harris
Age: 57
Film: The Rock
Why: I was going for a new kind of interpretation. Maybe not new, but I wanted emphasize a different part than most fancasters try to, I think. At first, even though I was avoiding casting any typical actor for the role (the most popular for the role or the 1st few most think of), I ran through about a dozen in my head.
All fit, but I wanted a tougher, less gangly Dark Lord. I landed on Harris after coming across The Rock on DVD and thought that his cold eyes and jarring voice were perfect for the role. He plays such a pivotal role, hell, we know so much about him, and his role, before ever being introduced to Johnny Blaze in this story.
Zarothos is Tony Todd
Age: 53
Film: Candy Man
Why: His menacing look, height and voice was an easy answer for me. He was actually the only actor I stuck with from the word go on this fancast.
Uriel is Ryan Phillippe
Age: 33
Film: The Way of the Gun
Why: I wanted an extreme contrast from Mephisto (Harris) to his brother, Uriel. Phillippe is young and good looking, but no pretty boy. He's a tough actor and was the perfect contrast, while staying strong, to Harris.
Pastor Kale is Michael Biehn
Age: 51
Film: Terminator
Why: I'm familiar with Biehn as a tough-as-nails good guy. yet, he has an old west quality about him that led me here. I feel he would sell this part to perfection. The long part he plays has to sell the origin well enough to buy into everything. He is more important to the movie and it's purpose than Noble. He is the only human villain in 3 movies and must, somehow, match the vile behavior of 4 demons. Biehn can do that easily.
Noble Kale is Chris Diamantopoulos
Age: 32
Film: Mork and Mindy
Why: I was blown away when I saw the movie. He is an extraordinary character actor and would excell in this role. This is something he would sink his teeth into. Not that I'm looking forward to the 3 Stooges movie, but he will be playing Moe. Before you judge, look up his variety of roles.
Naomi is Juliette Lewis
34
Dusk Till Dawn
I've stated before that she is the best actress to ever grace the scree, and I'm sticking to that. That, and her ability to extend emotion to the viewer and relish in dark roles were reasons enough to place her here.
Crash Simpson is William Forsythe
52
The Substitute
Known for tough-guy roles and playing the archetypical bad guy, I chose him as the daredevil stunt driver. I was tossing around switching him and Biehn but decided the 2 playing against type would work better.
Johnny Blaze is Cam Gigandet
25
The O.C.
I wanted a younger Blaze than most of you opt for. He needed to be a tough, but not over tough guy as well. Cam is a favorite of mine when I need the tough guy that's not in your face intimidating.
Roxanne is Sienna Miller
26
Casanova
I chose her because 1) she can act and I hate using just a pretty face 2) she's sooooo hot and 3) I missed out on using her in the previous Fantastic 4. Roxanne isn't a driving factor in these movies, sorry. If you've read the movies as well, you'll notice that she is not the step sister as that, to me, is just weird.
Nightmare is Michael Sheen
38
Underworld
His performance in Underworld sold me on him as an actor. He is a goofy looking guy that became ripped for the role. It was both action and love, that's diversity, sneaking a love story in an action film. Sheen would own this role. I've used him as Toad in a current X-Men cast as well, so one can see how I utilize him in creepy roles.
Stranger AKA Mephisto is Robert Patrick
49
The Unit
Patrick is the ultimate calm and cool villain. Instead of using him as Mephisto and Harris as the Stranger, like Forsythe and Biehn, I flipped it around for added effect. I think him as the friend, amd then flashing back to show he was the stranger is about as eerie as it's gonna get.
Deathwatch is Adam Baldwin
45
Serenity
Standing at 6'4", Baldwin would be an intimidating figure up against the Spirit of Vengeance. If the first movie was about becoming the Ghost Rider and why NOT to make a deal with the devil, and the 2nd movie takes place in The Realm of the Nightmare, then the final pits him against, what may seem as, a mild demon that feeds off of people. In order to make Deathwatch fierce enough an actor of his talent and size is needed.
Flo Crumm is Hillary Swank
33
Million Dollar Baby
Maybe I'm wasting a very valuable talent on such a small role, but she looks too much like her to pass this up. That, and for being a nod to a great story, it's very complimentary to use such an actress on such a role.
Lucy Crumm is Elle Fanning
9
The Door in the Floor
I don't know what it is about the Fanning girls, but they can act. I mean, they are so good at such a young age it's scary.
Norma Jean is Eva Green
27
Casino Royale
Look, I don't think she's all that hot, but i do think she is the spitting image of Norma Jean, Jeanie in my story.