Ghost Rider just got hotter! Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie is a contender to play the villain opposite Ryan Gosling in Marvel’s Ghost Rider movie.
Connor Storrie Is in Talks to Join Ryan Gosling in the MCU‘s Ghost Rider
Since his breakout role as Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry, Storrie is busier than ever! He’s even received an Emmy nomination for his Saturday Night Live Hosting gig in February. Currently, he’s filming for the highly anticipated second season of Heated Rivalry premiering on HBO Max in the Spring. Also, he’s starring alongside Billie Eilish in Sarah Polley’s The Bell Jar. Marvel Studios has historically given newer actors opportunities for breakout roles, and I’m happy to see them return to that. It’d be amazing to see Connor Storrie join the MCU in Ghost Rider. And we’d definitely love to see Storrie and Gosling share the screen.
As of now, Ghost Rider is releasing July 28, 2028; the movie is directed by Shawn Levy and written by Johnathan Tropper (Star Wars: Starfighter). Levy and Gosling are also producing the film alongside Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige. Louis D’Esposito and Stephen Broussard. Other executive producers include Richie Palmer and Jessie Henderson. As mentioned, per Variety, Connor Storrie will likely play the villain of Ghost Rider, should he come on board.
Who Will Connor Storrie Play in Ghost Rider?
During Marvel’s Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, Feige made the unexpected announcement about Ghost Rider, welcoming Gosling and Levy on stage. The project is set to begin shooting in New York next year, with Linus Sandgren (Dune Part 3) as director of photography.
We expect Gosling to portray Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider in the MCU movie. Blaze is a motorcyclist in the Marvel comics who made a deal with the devil to spare the life of his stepfather. Becoming bonded with a devil named Zatharos, Blaze transforms into a flaming motorcycle-riding skull-head who rides around with vengeance.
The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight No. 5 in 1972, written by Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Mike Ploog. Later, Ghost Rider became a standalone series. But throughout his long history, Ghost Rider hasn’t really established a signature villain. So it’s not immediately clear who Connor Storrie will portray in the MCU should he join the Ghost Rider movie.
Ghost Rider has faced a number of demonic antagonists, though. And the one villain that does often challenge Ghost Rider is Mephisto. In Sony’s Ghost Rider movie, the villains include Mephisto and his son Blackheart. But in the MCU, we already have a Mephisto. Mephisto made his first appearance in MCU’s Iron Heart series and was portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen. So it doesn’t seem likely Connor Storrie will portray Mephisto in Ghost Rider. For now, we’ll have to wait and see who Storrie will play in Ghost Rider… If he joins the MCU at all.
With Marvel only making the Ghost Rider announcement in July, they are moving expeditiously fast. The moment the MCU has with this project showcases exactly what they are capable of. Feige has made it clear that Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars will lead to a franchise reset and they I’m hoping the execution is done properly. I’m excited for new Marvel projects but not at the expense of other ones. Here’s hoping Connor Storrie, Ryan Gosling, and Ghost Rider will bring a great new entry into a new MCU.