“Heated Rivalry” breakout Connor Storrie is in talks to star opposite Ryan Gosling in Marvel Studios’ “Ghost Rider,” and multiple reports say he would play the film’s villain. Marvel does not comment on casting. The Hollywood Reporter first reported Storrie’s potential involvement. Deadline’s sources confirmed he is circling a role, though no word has emerged on the character. Ghost Rider has faced several demonic adversaries in the comics, including Mephisto, and fan speculation has floated Blackheart and Deathwatch.
Storrie’s profile has climbed fast. He plays Ilya Rozanov, a Russian professional hockey player, in HBO Max’s “Heated Rivalry,” opposite Hudson Williams. The series averaged 10.6 million viewers in its first season, and a second is in production. His most recent film credit is “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Gosling has chased this part for years. He had acknowledged talks with Marvel about the character before the studio announced him as Johnny Blaze. Kevin Feige revealed the project in July at San Diego Comic-Con, bringing Gosling and director Shawn Levy on stage. Jonathan Tropper wrote the script, and the film is set for release on July 28, 2028. Shooting begins in New York next year.
Levy gives the project a proven partner. He made his Marvel debut with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which earned $1.33 billion worldwide and ranks as the highest-grossing R-rated film ever. He and Gosling spent much of last year on “Star Wars: Starfighter,” due in May 2027.
The character has a spotty big-screen record to overcome. Nicolas Cage led two earlier films, in 2007 and 2011, and the first co-starred Eva Mendes, who is married to Gosling. Those films earned mixed reactions, and Marvel is betting that Gosling and a younger co-lead can reset expectations. A casting deal for Storrie remains unsigned, so the details could change.
Marvel has kept its plans for “Ghost Rider” close. The studio has not confirmed Gosling’s character, though he is widely expected to play Johnny Blaze, the motorcycle stuntman who makes a deal with the devil. The studio has not said which version of the hero it will use.
