MOVIE NEWS – Marvel Studios has officially confirmed that Ryan Gosling will portray Ghost Rider in a new standalone film centred on the supernatural antihero. Shawn Levy will direct the project, which is currently scheduled to reach cinemas in 2028.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced inside Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con that Project Hail Mary star Ryan Gosling has been cast as Ghost Rider in a new solo movie. Shawn Levy is taking charge of the film as director, while Marvel has set its release for 2028.
Levy already has considerable experience within the Marvel universe after directing and producing the blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. He has also recently worked with Gosling on the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, another film directed by Levy and led by the actor. That project is due to arrive in cinemas on May 28, 2027.
“I’m having the greatest flashback vibes here, because I was here two years ago when we showed ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’” Levy said upon taking the Hall H stage alongside Gosling and Feige. “I’ll never forget that night, because I was introduced to the greatest fans. Gosling is the absolute shit. I say that with tremendous respect. We spent a lot of time last year making ‘Starfighter,’ and the opportunity as Ryan started talking about this character, I was like, ‘Bro, let’s ride.’ We’ll see you in 2028!”
Gosling will become the second performer to portray the Spirit of Vengeance in a feature film, following Nicolas Cage’s appearances as the fiery motorcycle rider in two Sony productions. Gabriel Luna previously played the Robbie Reyes incarnation of the comic-book character in the Marvel and ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Luna was also expected to reprise the part in a standalone Hulu series, but that project was abandoned in 2019.
Cage made his first appearance as motorcycle stunt performer Johnny Blaze in Sony’s 2007 film Ghost Rider. In both the comics and the cinematic origin story, Johnny sells his soul to the demon Mephisto in exchange for curing his father’s cancer. Mephisto fulfils that part of the bargain, but Johnny’s father subsequently dies during a stunt accident. Johnny then becomes supernaturally bound to the demonic Spirit of Vengeance, allowing him to transform into a skeletal biker engulfed in flames. He possesses immense physical strength, fights with burning chains and can use the Penance Stare to force people to experience the emotional suffering they have inflicted on others.
Cage returned as Johnny Blaze for the 2011 sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Critics responded negatively to both films, and Sony’s version of the franchise did not continue beyond the second instalment.
The screen rights to Ghost Rider eventually returned to Marvel Studios, which reworked the character for the ABC television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Gabriel Luna portrayed Robbie Reyes, a younger Latino character who inherits the Ghost Rider identity and its supernatural abilities.
Source: Variety
