Ryan Gosling joins Marvel for the first time — and the audience reacted wildly
At the Comic-Con convention, Marvel Studios announced that Gosling will play Johnny Blaze, the anti-hero "Ghost Rider," in a new film adaptation of the character. The film is expected to hit theaters in 2028 and will be directed by Shawn Levy, who directed "Deadpool & Wolverine."
He played a frustrated jazz pianist in La La Land, the astronaut Neil Armstrong in First Man, a science teacher sent on a space mission in Project Hail Mary, and even Ken in Barbie — and was always the heartthrob in the plot, no matter the role. But one thing Ryan Gosling had never done throughout his long career: he was not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, that is about to change.
At the Comic-Con convention held over the weekend in San Diego, it was announced that Ryan Gosling will play Johnny Blaze, the stunt motorcyclist who sold his soul to the devil and is known as Ghost Rider, in a new film adaptation. The film will be directed by Shawn Levy, who directed Deadpool & Wolverine, and is expected to hit theaters in 2028.
"As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a very long time, — Gosling said on stage to the cheers of the fans. — So Kevin, Josh Horowitz — thank you."
The announcement came after an ongoing joke surrounding the casting. In recent weeks, journalist Josh Horowitz teased Marvel president Kevin Feige at a press conference for Spider-Man: A New Day, asking why Gosling had not yet been cast as Ghost Rider. During the panel at Comic-Con, Horowitz continued the bit, asking Feige about the casting from the audience — and Feige simply invited the actor to come up on stage to announce the news.
Shawn Levy also joined them on stage, sharing that he and Gosling discussed the possibility of playing Ghost Rider during the filming of Star Wars: Starfighter, which is expected to be released next year. According to Levy, they improvised and discussed the idea until he finally said to Gosling: "Bro, let's ride" — a play on words regarding the superhero's name.
Blaze's character was created by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, first appearing in 1972 in Marvel Spotlight No. 5. Blaze is a stunt motorcyclist who made a deal with the devil, becoming a spirit of vengeance bound to a demon named Zarathos. Nicolas Cage previously played Blaze in two Ghost Rider films (2007 and 2011), while Gabriel Luna portrayed Robbie Reyes in the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
