Ryan Gosling walked onto the Hall H stage Saturday night to confirm what fans had spent years speculating about: he’s playing Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige made the announcement during the studio’s Comic-Con International panel in San Diego, revealing that Gosling will star as motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze, who trades his soul for supernatural power and becomes an agent of vengeance with a flaming skull. Shawn Levy, who directed “Deadpool & Wolverine” and is currently working with Gosling on “Star Wars: Starfighter,” will direct. The film targets a 2028 release.
Gosling told the Hall H crowd he had wanted to play the character for years, then called Levy onto the stage himself, saying only one director could bring the role to life. Levy described spending downtime on the “Starfighter” set trading ideas with Gosling about how a Ghost Rider film might work. The pairing extends a partnership Marvel has clearly bet on: the two are already shooting one film together before this one has a script in front of cameras.
The casting closes a loop that started in 2024, when Gosling mentioned wanting the role during a press tour for “The Fall Guy.” That comment reached Feige, who said at the time he’d look for a way to bring Gosling into the MCU.
Talks continued quietly for two years, with Gosling later confirming discussions were underway during the promotional run for “Project Hail Mary,” which went on to gross more than $684 million worldwide. A report naming Gosling as the actor in talks for the part surfaced just hours before Saturday’s panel, all but confirming the reveal before Feige said a word.
Ghost Rider previously reached screens through Nicolas Cage’s 2007 film and its 2011 sequel, both outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gosling’s longtime partner, Eva Mendes, co-starred in that original movie. The character’s placement in Marvel’s newly announced 2028 slate lands him alongside a fresh “Black Panther” installment, and reported leaks around “Avengers: Doomsday” have suggested Ghost Rider could appear on screen before his solo film even arrives.
