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Ryan Gosling named Marvel’s newest MCU superhero during surprising San Diego Comic-Con reveal

Marvel took over Comic-Con Saturday, announcing the casting of Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider

Ryan Gosling, who previously enthralled the audience as Ken in 'Barbie', is now set to appear as another iconic character. During Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced the widely acclaimed actor as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) newest superhero. He will ride off into the sunset as 'Ghost Rider.' Gosling came to the stage after the announcement, amongst massive cheers. "Wow, is this really happening?" the actor revealed to the crowd. "As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time." The response was not a surprise, as Gosling is one of the actors Marvel fans have long wanted to see in the franchise's productions. Feige confirmed that he has long been asked about Gosling's participation in the MCU as well as 'Ghost Rider's adaptation. 

The 'Ghost Rider' himself welcomed the adaptation's director on stage. The actor introduced him as the "only one director" who could have done justice to the project. Filmmaker Shawn Levy then walked on stage. For those unaware, Gosling and Levy are working on another Disney Project, 'Star Wars: Starfighter.' The duo apparently talked a lot about 'Ghost Rider' during the filming of their 'Star Wars' movie. "As Ryan started talking about his vision for this character, we started riffing," said Levy, who has already been part of the MCU's 'Deadpool & Wolverine'. "And I finally said, 'Bro, let's ride.' So guys, we'll see you in 2028." Fiege stated that the 'Ghost Rider' movie is currently in development and the team is hoping for a 2028 release date. 

This will not be the first 'Ghost Rider' adaptation. Previously, Nicolas Cage played the soul hunter in two movies released in 2007 and 2011. Eva Mendes, Gosling's wife, appeared in the 2007 movie as Roxanne Simpson. Though critically panned, both movies were resounding commercial successes, having earned a solid following over the years. Another version of 'Ghost Rider' appeared in 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,' where Gabriel Luna played the character. A Hulu series based around this character was planned, but it never went ahead. Ryan Gosling first expressed his wish to portray the superhero in a 2024 podcast with Josh Horowitz. Two years later, on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, he confessed that some "discussions" had taken place, but shied away from confirming anything. The actor thanked Horowitz on the SDCC stage for making his wish public and helping him grab the role.

Ryan Gosling is not teaming up just with Levy from 'Star Wars: Starfighter' for the Marvel project, according to Deadline. Jonathan Tropper from the 'Star Wars' venture will also pen the script for the untitled 'Ghost Rider' venture. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Gosling will play Johnny Blaze's version of the character.