Ryan Gosling will play Ghost Rider in a new Marvel Cinematic Universe film set for release in 2028. The announcement came as a surprise during San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, drawing screams from the crowd when Gosling appeared on stage after the lights went dark and came back up.
Gosling, a three-time Oscar nominee, said it is a character he has "wanted to play for a very long time." When he took the stage, he looked out at the crowd and said: "Wow, is this really happening?"
According to BBC News, Gosling had previously discussed the role publicly. Earlier this year, appearing on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast in March, he confirmed he was in discussions with Marvel. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said on stage at Comic-Con that he had often been asked when Gosling would join the MCU before making the reveal.
The new film will be the third about the motorcycle-riding anti-hero Ghost Rider. It follows the 2007 film starring Nicolas Cage and its 2011 follow-up, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. In the character's origin story, motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze becomes bound to the Spirit of Vengeance Zarathos after making a deal with the villain Mephisto to spare his surrogate father, gaining superpowers in the process.
Shawn Levy will direct the film. Levy previously directed Deadpool and Wolverine in the MCU and is currently working with Gosling on Star Wars: Starfighter, due out next year. Gosling described Levy as the "only" director for the Ghost Rider project. Levy told the Comic-Con crowd that he and Gosling spent much of their downtime on the Star Wars set talking about Ghost Rider. He said: "As Ryan started talking about his vision for this character, we started riffing, and I finally said, 'bro, let's ride', so guys, we'll see you in 2028."
Comic-Con also brought other Marvel news. An exclusive trailer was shown for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film, and Black Panther 3 was announced for 2028. Actor Ryan Reynolds made a surprise appearance dressed in a grey version of Deadpool's suit at a panel for Avengers: Doomsday, where he asked teasing questions of celebrity panelists including Robert Downey Jr. and Paul Rudd. Reynolds asked the cast, "When do you start filming?" Downey Jr. replied: "It's in the can bro, look around you. Did you bump your head?"
Johnny Depp also made a special appearance at the convention, as did Rick Moranis, who announced a sequel to the 1987 parody film Spaceballs.
