Connor Storrie is in talks to join Ryan Gosling in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Ghost Rider movie, with the Heated Rivalry breakout reportedly being considered for a villain role. The casting is not yet final, and Marvel Studios has not publicly identified the character Storrie could play.
The project already has several major pieces in place. Ryan Gosling is set to star as Ghost Rider, while Shawn Levy will direct from a screenplay by Jonathan Tropper. Disney has scheduled the film for theatrical release on July 28, 2028.
Storrie’s potential casting was first reported as the project moves toward production. Variety reported that the actor is in talks to play a villain opposite Gosling. Entertainment Weekly also confirmed that Storrie is circling an undisclosed villain role, while noting that Marvel declined to comment on the casting.
That distinction matters because Storrie has not officially joined the film. Talks can end without a deal, and neither Marvel nor Disney has announced his character. Reports describing him as already cast or naming a specific villain would go beyond what has been confirmed.
Ghost Rider was formally announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige brought Gosling and Levy onstage during the studio’s Hall H presentation, confirming that Gosling would lead the new film. The announcement ended years of speculation about Gosling joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Gosling had publicly expressed interest in Ghost Rider before the movie was announced. Earlier in 2026, he acknowledged that discussions with Marvel had taken place. His interest in the supernatural character had also been known for several years.
The new film will reunite Gosling with Levy and Tropper after their work on Star Wars: Starfighter. Levy directed that movie, which is scheduled for release in May 2027, and Tropper wrote the screenplay. Their Ghost Rider collaboration gives Marvel a creative team that had already worked together before the superhero project was publicly revealed.
Variety reported that Ghost Rider is expected to begin filming in New York in 2027. The publication also said Levy and Gosling are producing the movie with Marvel Studios executives Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito and Stephen Broussard. Richie Palmer and Jessie Henderson are listed as executive producers.
Marvel has not officially disclosed which version of Ghost Rider Gosling will portray. Johnny Blaze is the character most closely associated with the name in film, but the comics have featured several Ghost Riders over the years. Reports have widely connected Gosling with Blaze, although Marvel has not publicly confirmed that identity.
Johnny Blaze is a motorcycle stunt performer who becomes connected to the supernatural Spirit of Vengeance. The character is known for transforming into a flaming skeletal rider and using supernatural powers against people who have caused harm.
Ghost Rider has appeared in live-action productions before. Nicolas Cage played Johnny Blaze in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and returned for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, released in 2012. Gabriel Luna later played Robbie Reyes, another version of Ghost Rider, on the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Storrie’s reported talks come during a rapid rise in his career. He became widely known through Heated Rivalry, the Canadian hockey romance series based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books. He plays Ilya Rozanov opposite Hudson Williams’ Shane Hollander.
The actor also appeared in Joker: Folie à Deux and has several projects moving forward. Variety reported that he will appear opposite Billie Eilish in Sarah Polley’s adaptation of The Bell Jar. A second season of Heated Rivalry is also in production and is expected to premiere in spring 2027.
If Storrie reaches a deal, Ghost Rider would give him a major role in one of Marvel’s planned theatrical releases for 2028. It would also place him opposite Gosling in a film expected to lean into the supernatural side of the Marvel universe.
The exact villain remains unknown. Ghost Rider stories have featured demonic and supernatural enemies, but there is no reliable confirmation that Storrie is being considered for any specific comic-book character. Until Marvel or the filmmakers provide more information, naming a possible antagonist would be speculation.
The July 28, 2028 release date places Ghost Rider among Marvel’s announced films for that year. Variety has reported that an untitled X-Men movie is scheduled for May 5, 2028, while Black Panther 3 is dated for December 15, 2028.
For now, the newest development is the casting negotiation itself. Storrie is in talks, Gosling is attached to star, Levy is directing and the movie has a firm theatrical date. The identity of Storrie’s possible villain and the exact version of Ghost Rider at the center of the story remain unconfirmed.