Ryan Gosling Confirmed As Marvel’s New Ghost Rider, And Here’s Exactly Which Version He’s Playing

Marvel fans spent years fan casting this exact role, and now it is finally, officially happening. Ryan Gosling stepped onto the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic Con and confirmed what had long been speculated, that he is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ghost Rider.

The annoub+ncement answers a question that has followed Gosling for years, but it also raises a more specific one for longtime comic readers. With multiple characters having worn the flaming skull over the decades, which ‘Ghost Rider’ is Gosling actually stepping into.

Ryan Gosling’s Role Confirmed to Be Johnny Blaze

According to reporting from Deadline, Gosling will portray Johnny Blaze in Marvel’s upcoming ‘Ghost Rider’ film, which is set for release in 2028. That detail settles the debate before it could really get going, since Blaze is the character most audiences already associate with the property thanks to the earlier film adaptations.

The character’s comic book roots go back further than most casual fans realize. Blaze was created by writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, first appearing in 1972’s Marvel Spotlight No. 5, before receiving his own series a year later.

In the source material, readers followed a stunt motorcycle driver who makes a deal with the devil and becomes bonded with a demon named Zatharos, transforming into the fiery skull headed Spirit of Vengeance.

It is worth noting that Blaze is far from the only person to hold the ‘Ghost Rider’ mantle in Marvel comics. Other characters, including Danny Ketch and Donnie Reyes, have carried the title over the decades, though Blaze has remained the version most closely tied to the character in the eyes of fans.

Ryan Gosling’s Marvel Casting Ends Years of Speculation

The road to this confirmation was a long one, and it played out largely in public. Gosling first revealed his interest in playing ‘Ghost Rider’ back in 2022, while also shutting down rumors that Marvel was courting him for the character Nova instead.

That early comment did not go unnoticed inside Marvel Studios either. Kevin Feige responded warmly to the idea at the time, saying he would love to find a place for Gosling in the MCU and calling him unbelievable.

More recently, Gosling kept the speculation alive without confirming anything outright. While promoting ‘Project Hail Mary’ on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he told host Josh Horowitz that some discussions had been had with Marvel, though he described it as a complicated situation, adding that he wanted to keep hope alive.

That podcast moment ended up feeding directly into how the Comic Con reveal unfolded. Horowitz was actually brought into a bit during the panel itself, calling out to Feige from the crowd and asking about Gosling, which led to Feige bringing Gosling out on stage.

‘Ghost Ride’s’ 2028 Release Date and Director Shawn Levy

Beyond the casting itself, two other major details came out of the panel. Marvel confirmed that Gosling’s standalone ‘Ghost Rider’ film is currently titled simply ‘Ghost Rider’ and is slated for 2028.

Behind the camera, Gosling will be working with a familiar face. Shawn Levy has been set to direct, and he is no stranger to Marvel, having most recently directed and produced ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’.

The two men clearly have chemistry built up already, since Gosling and Levy are currently working together on ‘Star Wars Starfighter,’ and Levy told the Hall H crowd that the pair spent much of their downtime on that set daydreaming about ‘Ghost Rider’ and trading ideas for the character.

Levy’s onstage energy about the project matched that history. He told the crowd that after spending so much time together making ‘Starfighter,’ the moment Gosling started talking about the character, he was fully on board, telling him simply that they should ride. Star Wars Starfighter itself is due out on May 28, 2027, meaning Gosling has a packed slate of major franchise work ahead before ‘Ghost Rider’ even arrives.

Ryan Gosling Joins a Complicated ‘Ghost Rider’ Screen Legacy

Gosling is not the first actor to bring a version of this character to a screen, live action or otherwise. Nicolas Cage played the fiery motorcycle rider twice for Sony, first in 2007’s ‘Ghost Rider’ and again in 2011’s ‘Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance’, with the two films combining to gross more than 361 million dollars worldwide.

There is also a personal thread running through this casting that fans have already picked up on. Eva Mendes, Gosling’s longtime partner, co-starred in the original 2007 film, and Gosling has joked in the past that he is just happy one of them finally got to play the role.

The character has also had a life on television that some fans still hope gets acknowledged. Gabriel Luna portrayed the Robbie Reyes version of ‘Ghost Rider’ on ‘Agents of SHIELD,’ and was originally set to reprise that role in a standalone Hulu series before the project was scrapped in 2019. With Blaze now confirmed as the version heading to the big screen, the question of whether Marvel folds any of that television history into the wider mythology is one fans will likely be debating for the next two years.

What version of ‘Ghost Rider’ are you hoping shows up alongside Gosling’s Johnny Blaze when the film finally hits theaters in 2028?