Columbia Pictures has moved up the debut of the Marvel Comics-based Ghost Rider movie starring Nicolas Cage from August 4th to July 14th, 2006.   Judging by how poorly action movies performed during the last half of the summer season this year, the change can only be seen as a positive for the Ghost Rider film.  Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, who also directed the Marvel-based Daredevil film in 2003, Ghost Rider is currently in the hands of the special effects team, since all principal photography was completed earlier this year in Australia.

The major Marvel release of next summer, Fox's X-3 (there is no official title for the third X-Men film as yet) is currently on schedule for a highly coveted late May release date (May 26th -- Memorial Day weekend).