What audiences ultiimately wound up getting, of course, is Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance, directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.
After the jump, learn more about Farmer and Lussier’s rejected pitch entitled Ghost Rider: Riders on the Storm.
In his blog – which is a must-read if you’re in the Hollywood trenches – Farmer says:
During one of our many meetings, De Luca, who had produced Ghost Rider, suggested we come up with a pitch for Ghost Rider 2. We said yes with much enthusiasm. So Mike set a meeting with Avi Arad that we might meet and discuss the franchise. And we had a blast. We met Avi and his son Ari (who sat with me and Tom Jane during the My Bloody Valentine premiere). We talked superheroes and what made Ghost Rider different.
We talked through what Vilains we could legally draw from. It was a perfect meeting.Patrick and I returned to the ghostcave and worked our magic. We decided to not only create a pitch but since there were so many entities involved (Avi, Marvel, Sony and De Luca) we would create a document we could leave behind. A doc that would represent our story, our characters and our tone. And thats what we did.When we returned we were pumped. We had nailed it. It may seem arrogant to say that but DUH. Isnt that the point? Why would you ever go back if you didnt think you nailed it?
During the initial chit chat I said something along the lines of, We know there are several entities involved here but we think weve found a story that fulfills everyones concerns. Avi then informed me that there was only one entity that mattered. Everyone laughed. I gulped. And the pitch was fun! We knew De Luca dug it.
Later we heard that Sony loved it. But in the end Avi passed. He said it was too violent. Hate not getting the job but Ill take TOO VIOLENT as the reason any day of the week.
You can read the full treatment right here!
