Ryan Gosling to star in Marvel's 'Ghost Rider', says he 'wanted to play the character for long time'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ryan Gosling officially joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe after being revealed as the next actor to portray 'Ghost Rider' during Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday, July 25.
The iconic superhero was previously played onscreen by Nicolas Cage, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige also confirming that Gosling will lead an upcoming standalone 'Ghost Rider' film, marking the actor's long-awaited entry into the franchise.
Ryan Gosling opens up about long-awaited Ghost Rider role as Shawn Levy signs on to direct
Addressing the audience at Comic-Con, Gosling shared his excitement about taking on the role, "As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a long time," he said onstage to the cheering crowd. The character first appeared on the big screen in the 2007 film 'Ghost Rider,' with Cage playing motorcycle stuntman Johnny Blaze.
The film served as the character's origin story and co-starred Gosling's longtime partner Eva Mendes as Roxanne Simpson. Cage later returned for the 2011 sequel, 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,' although Mendes did not reprise her role.
The new movie will be directed by Levy, who previously worked with Gosling on the upcoming 'Star Wars: Starfighter' and also directed Marvel's 2024 hit 'Deadpool' & 'Wolverine.'
"I'm having the greatest flashback vibes here, because I was here two years ago when we showed Deadpool & Wolverine," Levy said during the panel alongside Gosling and Feige, adding, "I'll never forget that night, because I was introduced to the greatest fans. Gosling is the absolute."
He continued, "I say that with tremendous respect. We spent a lot of time last year making Starfighter, and the opportunity as Ryan started talking about this character, I was like, 'Bro, let's ride.' We'll see you in 2028!"
Comic-Con attendees had waited more than a day to secure seats for Marvel's highly anticipated Hall H presentation, which also featured appearances from Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal.
Ryan Gosling's Marvel discussions, Nicolas Cage's response and recent success with 'Project Hail Mary'
The announcement follows Gosling's recent appearance on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast while promoting 'Project Hail Mary,' where he confirmed that conversations had taken place about joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as 'Ghost Rider.'
"We'll keep hope alive," he said during the press tour when asked about the character, adding, "Some discussions have been had. It's a complicated situation." Feige had previously welcomed the possibility of Gosling joining Marvel after learning about the actor's interest during a Comic-Con red carpet interview.
"Hey man, if Ryan wants to be Ghost Rider..." Feige said, adding, "Gosling's unbelievable. Ryan is amazing...I'd love to find a place for him in the MCU. He's dressed up as Ken on Venice Beach [filming Barbie] and gets more press than giant movies coming out that weekend. It's amazing."
Cage has previously addressed whether his version of Ghost Rider belongs to the MCU, "I don't need to be in the MCU," Cage said, adding, "I'm Nic Cage. What am I going to do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father. He named me."
During the Hall H presentation, Feige also announced that Joe and Anthony Russo's 2019 film 'Avengers: Endgame' will return to theatres on September 25 with new footage connecting it to the Russos' Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on December 18.
Away from Marvel, Gosling recently spoke about the reception to 'Project Hail Mary.' Rather than focusing on its commercial performance, the actor said the audience's response meant the most to him: "You hope people will come along on the journey. To see them embrace it the way they have has been incredibly rewarding."
