Ryan Gosling got his wish. On Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed that Marvel’s supernatural hero Ghost Rider is returning to the big screen and will be played by none other than Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049, Project Hail Mary).
Gosling had previously expressed interest in the role as far back as 2022, and earlier this year, acknowledged that “discussions have been had” with Marvel Studios. Upon learning of Gosling’s desire to step into the role, Feige said, “I’d love to find a place for him in the MCU.”
Well, he did. And Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool & Wolverine and next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter (also starring Gosling), is set to direct him in a stand-alone feature set for 2028.
Ghost Rider starred in two live-action movies produced by Columbia Pictures — 2007’s Ghost Rider and 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance — with Nicolas Cage in the starring role and playing the Johnny Blaze version of the hero. The film franchise rights reverted to Marvel in 2013, though the company opted to put Ghost Rider in the television series Agents of SHIELD rather than pursue a stand-alone film. The version of Ghost Rider featured in Agents of SHIELD is the Robbie Reyes version, not Johnny Blaze, and was portrayed by Gabriel Luna.
Ghost Rider first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1972, in the pages of Marvel Spotlight #5. The character was created by then-Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, writer Gary Friedrich, and artist Mike Ploog as a stuntman named Johnny Blaze who makes a deal with the devil — Marvel’s Mephisto — to save the life of his foster father.
While the character’s lore has become incredibly messy in the 54 years since, Ghost Rider is such a cool-looking character that he’s eternally endeared himself to comic book readers. Now, we’ll finally get to see what the character will be like in an MCU theatrical film.