Was there any disappointment at all from the 'Superman' project not working out for you?

From the 'Superman' project? No, I'm not disappointed in that at all. I'm a big believer that things that are meant to be are meant to be. I don't hold onto things. I let things go when they don't work out and I also believe that the right cast for a movie is the one that usually winds up in the movie. I think that the 'Superman' movie that came out was a good movie and a very nostalgic movie. But I'm not interested in repeating things. I was going to turn that character on it's ear which maybe wouldn't have been – it obviously wasn't what the studio wanted because they went with a more traditional approach. 'Ghost Rider' for me is a better match because it gives me a chance to do a unique approach to something the way that I want to do it and to maybe introduce a character to a wider audience. There is a hardcore group of 'Ghost Rider' fans and I want them to be very happy, but I also want to introduce 'Ghost Rider' to the mainstream who don't know who the character is.

So you understand the frustration of fans who say on the web that Mark is screwing this up because he's changing the mythology? Do you understand where they're coming from?

Yeah.

Or do you wish that they would let it go?

No, man. That's their identity. You can't tell them to let it go. That's what gives them something to get excited about. Even if it means they don't want to get excited about the movie that makes them excited. They have to complain about something which is part of the fun being a comic book fan. No, complain all you want and have it. Go see it and then complain some more if you want.

What's the message that you want the fans who aren't sure about the character to get?

I think that my message is go check out the whole thing and then let’s talk.

Will there be an action figure that looks like you or will it just be the flame?

I have no idea. We'll see. I'll probably get freaked out in Toys R' Us one day.

What did you ultimately feel about 'The Wicker Man' movie when all was said and done? Did Robin Hardy ever get a chance to see it?

I have no idea. I don't know if he saw it or not. I'm a fan of the original and I'm glad that I made the movie because they don't make movies like that anymore and probably the result of what 'Wicker Man' did is the reason why they don't make movies like that anymore. Again, it's kind of that '70's sensibility, but I'm trying to do things that are outside the box. Sometimes that means it'll work and other times it won't. Again though I'm going to try and learn from anything that I do. I think that it was a great cast, and Neil La Bute is one of the easiest directors that I've ever worked with. He really loves actors and he really gives you a relaxed feeling on the set, that you can achieve whatever it is that you're trying to put together, but at the end of the day the frustration that I had with 'The Wicker Man,' which I think has been remedied on the DVD because I believe the DVD has the directors original cut, is that they cut the horror out of the horror film to try and get a PG-13 rating. I mean, I don't know how to stop something like that. So I'm not happy with the way that the picture ended, but I'm happy with the spirit with which it was made.

In spite of your being a star, is it increasingly harder to do movie that are outside the box like you want?

Yeah. I mean, I think it's frustrating for people who work with me, people who try and help me make the decisions because I don't always want to conform. So that can sometimes mean box office disasters, but I'm really of the opinion that there are two reasons why a movie gets bad reviews. One is because it's bad, and two it's because it's so good that people aren't ready for it. So it's important not to get caught up in accolades and things that would have you stagnate as an artist. It's important to constantly be willing to risk it all because that's the only way that you're going to learn and the only way to have any integrity in what you're doing. That's why I feel good about 'The Wicker Man' because I do think that I risked it and so did Neil LaBute and so did everyone else involved with it. So it's there and if it wasn't there, there is a strong change that movies that are independently minded won't be made anymore because everything is going sequel and everything is going hamburgers and sails and that's what people want right now. So I feel like it's my duty to keep rocking the boat good or bad.