Ghost Rider 2 casting update

Idris Elba and CSI Miami's Johnny Whitworth are in talks to join the cast of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance .

Elba will apparently play 'an alcoholic warrior monk tasked with finding Ghost Rider'. Whitworth is in line for the role of a criminal who is recruited by the Devil to find his son, and is later turned into a demonic creature.

The plot sees Nicolas Cage's Johnny Blaze hiding out in remote Eastern Europe and struggling to repress his curse - you know, the flaming skull thing.

Blaze is recruited by a religious sect to take on the Devil (Ciaran Hinds), who wants to take over his mortal son's body.

Already in place are Cage, Ciaran Hinds and Violante Placido, as the mother of the devilspawn/ Cage's love interest.

Earlier this week we exclusively revealed that Idris Elba has a picture deal with Marvel , and is already appearing in next year's Thor , ahead of a possible starring role as another Marvel character.

If Elba is cast in Spirit Of Vengeance, and goes on to star in his own franchise, that will make three appearances in seperate Marvel franchises as three different characters - though film rights to the Ghost Rider character are owned by Columbia Pictures, not Marvel.

Here's hoping he doesn't overstretch himself.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, directed by Crank duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, is set to commence shooting in Romania next month.

The film is scheduled for release February 17 2012.