Columbia Pictures fills up its schedule, putting together a sequel for the Nicolas Cage 2007 film Ghost Rider. In talks to pen the script is scribe David Goyer who previously worked on The Dark Knight and The Unborn. Actor Nicolas Cage will be reprising his role as the motorcycle riding demon, no word at all if Eva Mendes will be adding onto the cast list. Through a spokesperson, Goyer said he hadn’t signed on yet. But plans are already under way to base the sequel on a “Ghost Rider” script written years ago by Goyer (Variety).

The sequel adds onto the never ending list of Marvel properties that continue to make their way onto the big screen. Currently several projects are in development which include Captain America, Ant-Man and The Avengers. Twentieth Century Fox at the moment is in the middle of rebooting their own Fantastic Four franchise while DC Comics revamps their lineup with the pre-production of The Green Lantern along with the possible revival of The Justice League movie. At the moment, Marvel’s latest property Iron Man 2 is in the middle of post-production with a May 7th release date.

For my screenwriting class this week, I was tasked with reading Charlie Kaufman’s screenplay for Adaptation before watching the film. It was a learning experience in terms of deciphering Kaufman’s dense style, but also in remembering that Nicolas Cage can be really terrific.

But then there’s Next. And Ghost Rider. And National Treasure 2. And I’m going to guess The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will be more akin to those first 3 than, say, Raising Arizona.

And now, thanks to the resurgence of 3D technology, Cage will be taking the lead role in an action/revenge piece entitled Drive Angry. Will his acting be as flat in three dimensions? I’m on the edge of my seat.

Patrick Lussier, co-writer of My Bloody Valentine 3D, will direct the film from a script he wrote with Todd Farmer for Nu Image/Millennium Films (who are in the news quite a bit today with Rambo 5 being greenlit). The Hollywood Reporter describes the film’s concept as a “vendetta/rescue” that “spins out of control as the chase gets bloodier by the mile, leaving bodies strewn along the highway.”

Filming will start this coming April in Shreveport, Louisiana.

You know what? I’ll have faith in this project until I’m proven wrong. Maybe Cage will embrace his cheesiness and just go ballistic.

2007′s Marvel film adaptation of Ghost Rider to most people is now just a mere after thought. Although it was very dominant box office wise with it’s February 07 release, it got ripped to shreds by critics. Regardless, numbers don’t lie so that means there inevitably will end up being a sequel. That’s where Nicolas Cage comes in, jabbering away to MTV quickly at the direction a possible Ghost Rider 2 movie would take.