Ryan Gosling Shocks Comicon With Surprise Announcement, Joins Marvel Universe As New 'Ghost Rider'

Ryan Gosling walked onto the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday to raucous cheers and confirmed what fans had been hoping for since 2022, he is playing Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The film is directed by Shawn Levy, written by Jonathan Tropper and opens in 2028. Kevin Feige introduced the announcement with a running joke about how many years interviewers have been asking him when Gosling would join the MCU.

"Wow, is this really happening?" Gosling told the crowd. "As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a very long time."

He then introduced Levy, saying only one director could bring Ghost Rider to the screen. The two are currently finishing Star Wars: Starfighter together, Levy directing, Gosling starring, and spent their downtime on set developing their Ghost Rider vision.

Gosling will play Johnny Blaze, the motorcycle stuntman who sells his soul to the devil Mephisto and becomes a supernatural agent of vengeance, his skull engulfed in hellfire.

Nicolas Cage played the same character in two Sony films in 2007 and 2012. Gosling's longtime partner Eva Mendes co-starred in that original film as Roxanne Simpson. Whether she reprises the role has not been announced.

Levy is fresh off Deadpool & Wolverine, which grossed over $1.3 billion. The Ghost Rider announcement capped a Comic-Con panel that also included the Avengers: Doomsday trailer and the Black Panther 3 reveal.