Ryan Gosling is set to play Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a new Ghost Rider film scheduled for release in 2028. Marvel made the announcement at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, turning the spotlight on a character that has long been part of the studio’s wider plans for the franchise.
Gosling told the crowd the role is one he has wanted for a long time. After Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige introduced the reveal on stage, the lights went down and Gosling appeared to loud cheers from fans in the room. The actor, a three-time Oscar nominee, reacted by asking, “Wow, is this really happening?”
The new film will be the third big-screen version of the motorcycle-riding anti-hero. It follows the 2007 Ghost Rider film starring Nicolas Cage and the 2011 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. In the Marvel comics and film lore, Ghost Rider is the alter ego of motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze, who becomes tied to the Spirit of Vengeance Zarathos after striking a deal with the villain Mephisto to save his surrogate father.
Gosling had already signaled interest in the part earlier this year. On Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast in March, he confirmed he was in talks with Marvel. At Comic-Con, he also made clear that director Shawn Levy was his pick for the project, calling him the “only” director for the job.
Levy, who previously directed Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel, is also working with Gosling on Star Wars: Starfighter, which is set for release next year. Levy told the audience that he and Gosling had spent downtime on set talking through ideas for Ghost Rider, eventually leading him to tell the actor, “bro, let’s ride,” before pointing to 2028 as the target year.
