Ryan Gosling is officially riding into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios announced at its San Diego Comic-Con panel that the Oscar-nominated actor will portray Ghost Rider in a solo film scheduled for release in 2028, with director Shawn Levy at the helm.
High-profile casting revealed onstage
The news was punctuated when Gosling walked onstage at the panel. The actor acknowledged a long-standing desire to play the character, telling the crowd that this is a role he has wanted to tackle. Levy, who directed the studio’s 2024 hit Deadpool and Wolverine and has collaborated with Gosling on the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, praised his new leading man in emphatic terms.
"As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a long time," Gosling said.
Levy added color — and a bit of swagger — to the announcement from the stage, saying the team agreed on Gosling and closing with the cheerfully ominous line, "Let's ride, we'll see you in 2028."
Where Ghost Rider fits in the MCU
The Ghost Rider mantle is a supernatural one traditionally associated with motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze. The character has appeared on screen before, but those incarnations were not part of Marvel Studios’ current shared universe.
- Nicolas Cage starred as Johnny Blaze in the standalone films Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011), neither of which were connected to the MCU.
- Gabriel Luna played an alternate version, Robbie Reyes, on the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which referenced supernatural elements and obliquely hinted at other Ghost Rider possibilities but did not explicitly establish Johnny Blaze inside the MCU.
- Marvel previously explored a Ghost Rider TV project that was reportedly shelved in 2019.
The announcement does not yet disclose which incarnation of Ghost Rider Gosling will portray, how the film will tie into existing MCU continuity, or which characters and storylines will intersect with the project. Marvel has a track record of reimagining comic-book properties when bringing them into the studio’s interconnected slate, and fans will be watching for how the studio balances the character’s occult elements with the broader MCU tone.
Context and creative team
Shawn Levy’s involvement is notable. He directed the studio’s 2024 film Deadpool and Wolverine and is collaborating with Gosling again on the forthcoming Star Wars: Starfighter. Levy’s track record with high-profile genre fare positions him as a director capable of delivering both blockbuster spectacle and character-driven moments.
| Previous on-screen Ghost Rider | Year | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost Rider | 2007 | Nicolas Cage |
| Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance | 2011 | Nicolas Cage |
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Robbie Reyes) | TV run | Gabriel Luna |
For Gosling, the role represents a jump into the heart of franchise filmmaking at a time when Marvel’s slate is expanding into darker and more varied tonal territory. The actor’s casting also connects in an eyebrow-raising way to his personal filmography: Eva Mendes, Gosling’s longtime partner, co-starred in the 2007 Ghost Rider film as Roxanne Simpson.
Marvel’s decision to cast a major star in a supernatural property signals the studio’s continued interest in broadening the kinds of genre stories told within the MCU, including those that lean into horror, the occult and antiheroic figures. How Ghost Rider will integrate with upcoming Marvel projects — including those announced at SDCC — remains to be seen, and Marvel has not yet released a plot synopsis, supporting cast list, or production timeline beyond the 2028 release window.
Expect updates as Marvel releases further details in the months ahead. For now, the MCU is officially adding a flaming skull and a high-profile star to its roster — and that combination is likely to make a lot of noise on the box office radar.
