Ryan Gosling is officially Johnny Blaze. Marvel Studios confirmed the casting at its Hall H panel during San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, capping a long-rumored pursuit with one of the more theatrical reveals in recent convention memory.
Kevin Feige kicked things off with a setup: journalist Josh Horowitz called out from the crowd asking about Gosling, and Feige responded by walking the actor right onto the stage to a revving motorcycle sound cue. Fans who had waited, in some cases more than a day, to secure a seat reportedly erupted.
Gosling addressed the crowd after taking the stage. "Wow. Is this really happening?" he said. "As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a very long time. But if we're really going to do this, there's only one director who can do it." He then named Shawn Levy, who will helm the standalone film. A Ghost Rider logo and title treatment was unveiled shortly after.
Levy, who directed Deadpool and Wolverine in 2024, confirmed the collaboration from the stage. "I'm having the greatest flashback vibes here, because I was here two years ago when we showed Deadpool and Wolverine," Levy said, per Variety. "We spent a lot of time last year making 'Starfighter,' and the opportunity as Ryan started talking about this character, I was like, 'Bro let's ride.' We'll see you in 2028!"
The Gosling-Levy pairing is already road-tested. Before pivoting to Ghost Rider, the two are finishing Star Wars: Starfighter, set for theatrical release May 28, 2027.
The Ghost Rider film marks Gosling's first superhero or comic book role.
Nicolas Cage played the character in two Sony films outside the MCU, Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011). Gosling's longtime partner Eva Mendes co-starred in the 2007 film as Roxanne Simpson, Johnny Blaze's girlfriend. Gabriel Luna later played a different version, Robbie Reyes, on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., though that iteration was never formally folded into MCU canon.
The MCU's Ghost Rider is set for a 2028 theatrical release.
