He might be about to get all Norse warrior on us as Heimdall in Thor, but it would seem Idris Elba isn’t letting that be the last time he has fun in the Marvel universe. He’s been chatting about other possible roles, but today he’s actually booked an unexpected bonus, nabbing a part in **Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance alongside Johnny Whitworth.
Crank nutters Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have written the script for the sequel, and will conjure it on to the screen as Nic Cage returns to the role of Johnny Blaze.
Vengeance picks up the story with Johnny hiding out in Eastern Europe, trying to forget that pesky little curse that has him turning into a flaming skull-headed demon warrior that battles evil. But even in the darkest depths, he can’t escape the fight, and is called upon by a sect to fight the Devil (Ciaran Hinds) who plans to use Blaze’s own son to re-enter the world.
Elba will be a warrior monk dealing with his own demons, in the form of a serious drinking problem, who is sent to find our hero. Whitworth, meanwhile, who worked with Neveldine and Taylor before on Gamer, is playing a criminal who agrees to work with Satan and winds up being transformed into something terrifying and evil. Rumours that he’ll look like Rupert Murdoch are, of course, merely satirical.
The film will kick off shooting in Romania and Turkey later next month.