Synopsis

Motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze makes a bargain with the demon Mephistopheles to save his dying father, only to lose his soul and become the Ghost Rider, a fiery agent of vengeance. Years later, he is ordered to stop Blackheart, Mephistopheles' rebellious son, from using an ancient contract to unleash Hell on Earth. Johnny must master his curse while protecting the innocent and reclaiming control of his fate.

Factoids & Trivia

• Marvel began developing a Ghost Rider movie as early as 1992, but the project went through several studios, writers, proposed stars, and release delays before filming finally began.

• Nicolas Cage was a longtime Ghost Rider fan and contacted the filmmakers after learning that Johnny Depp had expressed interest in the role. Cage later returned to the project after an earlier departure.

• The film was shot primarily in Australia, with production beginning at Melbourne Docklands film studios on February 14, 2005. Additional reshoots took place in Vancouver in 2006.

• The original screenplay used Scarecrow as the main villain. The character was replaced by Blackheart partly to avoid confusion with the similarly named DC Comics character.

• Ghost Rider's flaming skull, Hell Cycle, chains, and transformation were created with extensive computer-generated effects. The skull flames were designed to become smaller and blue when the character displayed emotions other than rage.

• Sound designer Dane Davis created Ghost Rider's distinctive voice by combining Nicolas Cage's performances with processed animal growls and mechanical amplification.

• Peter Fonda's casting as Mephistopheles gave the film an intentional motorcycle-movie connection, since Fonda had starred in the counterculture classic "Easy Rider."

• The end credits feature Spiderbait performing a cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky." The Australian band became acquainted with the production while the film was shooting in Melbourne.

• Although critics responded negatively overall, the film was a commercial success. It opened strongly in February 2007 and earned approximately $229 million worldwide.

• A sequel, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," followed in 2012. Plans for a third film were ultimately abandoned after the movie rights reverted to Marvel in 2013.