Ryan Gosling is officially firing up the Hell Cycle. Marvel Studios has cast the Oscar-nominated actor as Johnny Blaze in a new Ghost Rider film, with Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy directing. The casting was confirmed inside Comic-Con’s Hall H, where Gosling’s surprise appearance sent the crowd into a frenzy. The Spirit of Vengeance will ride into cinemas in 2028.
Ryan Gosling Finally Gets His Marvel Role
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige unveiled the project during the studio’s San Diego Comic-Con presentation, turning years of fan-casting into one of the panel’s biggest crowd-pleasers.
Journalist Josh Horowitz, who has repeatedly questioned Feige about putting Gosling on a flaming motorcycle, helped set up the reveal from the audience. Feige responded by bringing the actor onto the stage as Suicide’s punk classic “Ghost Rider” played through Hall H.
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“Wow, is this really happening?” Gosling asked. “As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time. So, Kevin, Josh Horowitz, Hall H, thank you.”
Gosling previously singled out Ghost Rider when discussing potential comic-book roles, making the announcement feel less like surprise casting and more like Marvel finally giving both the fans and its new leading man what they had been asking for.
The film will mark Gosling’s first superhero outing and Johnny Blaze’s first starring vehicle within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Shawn Levy and Gosling Were Already Plotting Their Ride
Gosling told the audience that there was “only one director” he wanted behind the camera, welcoming Levy to the stage.
The pair recently completed work on Star Wars: Starfighter, due in U.S. cinemas on May 28, 2027. According to Levy, their conversations about Ghost Rider began while they were making the upcoming Star Wars film.
“As Ryan started talking about his vision for this character, we started riffing,” Levy said. “And I finally said, ‘Bro, let’s ride.’ So guys, we’ll see you in 2028.”
Levy is already well acquainted with Marvel after directing the box-office smash Deadpool & Wolverine. He will also reunite with Starfighter writer Jonathan Tropper, who is penning the Ghost Rider screenplay, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Johnny Blaze Rides Again
Introduced by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, Johnny Blaze made his comic-book debut in 1972’s Marvel Spotlight No. 5.
Blaze is a motorcycle stunt performer who makes a desperate supernatural deal and becomes bonded with the demon Zarathos. When Ghost Rider takes control, Blaze transforms into a flaming-skulled Spirit of Vengeance capable of wielding hellfire and forcing the guilty to experience the suffering they have caused.
Nicolas Cage previously played Blaze in 2007’s Ghost Rider and the 2012 sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Gabriel Luna later portrayed Robbie Reyes, another version of Ghost Rider, in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Gosling’s casting also creates an amusing full-circle connection at home. His partner, Eva Mendes, played Roxanne Simpson opposite Cage in the first film. Following Marvel’s announcement, Mendes shared a fan edit linking Gosling’s motorcycle stunt rider in The Place Beyond the Pines, the film where the couple met, to his new role. She captioned the post: “Love, Roxy.”
Marvel has yet to announce an exact release date or when cameras will begin rolling. For now, Gosling has the leather jacket, Levy has the keys, and the MCU is preparing to ride straight into hell.
And because no Ghost Rider announcement is complete without a little Nicolas Cage chaos, here’s a look back at some of the wild moments from those earlier films:
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