Ryan Gosling has officially been cast as Marvel's Ghost Rider, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige confirmed Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con. The actor is slated to star in a standalone feature film for the character, scheduled for release in 2028. Shawn Levy, director of Deadpool & Wolverine, will helm the project.
Gosling's interest in the role is well-documented, with the actor having expressed a desire to play the supernatural hero as early as 2022. He acknowledged earlier this year that "discussions have been had" with Marvel Studios, prompting Feige's public statement that he would "love to find a place for him in the MCU."
Ghost Rider first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1972's Marvel Spotlight #5, created by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, and Mike Ploog. The original character, stuntman Johnny Blaze, made a pact with Mephisto to save his foster father's life. The character's lore has since expanded significantly over the decades.
Previous live-action iterations of Ghost Rider were produced by Columbia Pictures, with Nicolas Cage starring as Johnny Blaze in 2007's Ghost Rider and its 2012 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Marvel regained the film rights to the character in 2013. The studio previously incorporated a version of Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes played by Gabriel Luna, into the television series Agents of SHIELD, rather than pursuing a theatrical film at that time.