Why Ghost Rider deserves its reincarnation

If ever there was a film that required a second go, it was 2007's Ghost Rider. It promised so much – at least as much as a film about a man with a burning head riding a motorbike up a skyscraper can promise – but it was bungled at almost every turn. The antagonist – Blackheart – was transformed from a snarling reptilian demon into someone who looked like he should be playing bass for My Chemical Romance. Eva Mendes could have been replaced with a bra on a stick and all Nicolas Cage did was eat jellybeans and appreciate The Carpenters in a silly wig.

But now it looks like we're getting the Ghost Rider we deserve in next year's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Last month's Comic-Con may have featured the likes of Spider-Man, Spielberg and Prometheus, but there was a sense that the sneak peek at the Ghost Rider sequel captured the most hearts. Here's why:

The Crank connection

The first Ghost Rider was written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, a man probably best known for writing Jack Frost, in which Michael Keaton played a bad-tempered snowman who loves his human son. But Spirit of Vengeance is different. Spirit of Vengeance is directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who made Crank. Ridiculous, breathless, demented, brilliant Crank. If Neveldine and Taylor can capture half the energy of Crank – or coax a performance from Cage that's anywhere near as preposterous as the one they coaxed from Jason Statham – then Ghost Rider 2 might be very special indeed.

Nicolas Cage is still in it

The directors claim that Ghost Rider 2 is more reboot than sequel, but at least Nicolas Cage will return as Johnny Blaze. He's made 11 films since Ghost Rider was released, ranging from the berserk sci-fi of Next and Knowing to the barmy action of Drive Angry and Bangkok Dangerous. It's like he's been training for this. What's more, after the CG incarnation of the first film's hero, this time Cage will be playing Ghost Rider himself. This can only be a good thing, especially since Cage has spoken of "channeling a cobra" for the role. And what's the only thing better than watching Nicolas Cage act? Watching Nicolas Cage act like a snake while he sets his head on fire and drives a motorbike a bit too fast, that's what.

Cage wears a better wig

Viewers of the first Ghost Rider might remember the terrible wig Nicolas Cage was forced to wear as Johnny Blaze. Short, pushed forwards and weirdly boyish, it looked like that unfortunate period in 1997 when Tony Blair had his hair cut to look more like Caesar. This time around, however, Cage's wig is swept-back and age appropriate. It might not be a big thing, but it's definitely an improvement.

Idris Elba

The inclusion of Idris Elba in a film isn't a guarantee of quality – you only have to look at the likes of Obsessed or 28 Weeks Later to realise that – but at least you can be sure of a decent performance. Elba even managed to turn a thankless mythological sentry role in Thor into something worth watching. What he'll do with the part of Moreau, a kickass, alcoholic biker monk from France, is anyone's guess.

Early snippets

More than anything, though, there's the early word on Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance to go on. And it sounds absolutely loopy. Empire saw footage at Comic-Con and witnessed Cage "unleashing merry hell, spinning a baddie high up into the air on the end of a spectral chain, swallowing a hail of machine-gun fire and then spitting it back at some burly unfortunates, and, in one memorable shot, literally pissing fire". Neveldene and Taylor have said that "you will see real bones breaking in Ghost Rider, not CG bones". The whole thing sounds completely berserk. If it does end in failure, it sounds as if it will be the sort of glorious failure you'll remember for years to come.