San Diego Comic-Con’s Marvel Studios Hall H panel kicked off with a big bit of news that confirmed a long-held fan belief. Kevin Feige addressed rumors that Ryan Gosling would play Ghost Rider, the supernatural spirit of vengeance with a flaming skull and a motorcycle. Turns out…it’s true! Feige welcomed Gosling to the stage and unveiled the new logo for the movie. It’ll be directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine and the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie starring Gosling). It will hit cinemas 2028.
The Marvel Universe has roughly 48 billion characters across its storied comic book history. By last count, the number of above the title actors in Hollywood is *checks notes* not that high. So for Kevin Feige to figure out which actor will play what character is a pretty tough proposition. You can’t just waste an Oscar-winner on a side character in a mid-credits scene who then never shows up again…
But whether Gosling will play the Johnny Blaze version or the Danny Ketch version is anyone’s guess right now. Blaze was the very first Ghost Rider, appearing in all the way back in Marvel Spotlight #5 in 1972. Ketch, the edgier ’90s follow-up, debuted in the first issue of his own series in 1990.
Gosling appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast (h/t Variety) to promote Project Hail Mary this past spring. As usual for host Josh Horowitz, questions regarding fallow projects flew the actor’s way. “We’ll keep hope alive,” Gosling said. “Some discussions have been had. It’s a complicated situation.” The actor first expressed his interest in playing Ghost Rider, the flame-skulled motorcyclist who acts as spirit of vengeance for Mephisto, in 2022.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.