OG Ghost Rider Director Mark Steven Johnson Reacts to Ryan Gosling's MCU Casting (Exclusive)
Mark Steven Johnson, who spearheaded the pre-MCU era of Marvel movies (including 2007's Ghost Rider), gave SYFY Wire his exclusive thoughts on the casting of Ryan Gosling as the new Johnny Blaze.
Marvel Studios revved up fan excitement at San Diego Comic-Con with the Hall H announcement that Ryan Gosling has been cast as Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Deadpool & Wolverine alum Shawn Levy, who just worked with Gosling on Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Starfighter, is on board to direct the solo project, which will hit theaters in 2028—two decades after Iron Man kicked off the MCU.
The movie marks the third big screen outing for the skeletal, motorcycle-riding superhero following Nicolas Cage's two-movie tenure as Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011).
Ghost Rider (2007) Director Reacts to Ryan Gosling's MCU Casting
"I am thrilled that Ghost Rider will finally be joining the MCU!" Mark Steven Johnson, who wrote and directed the 2007 film, told SYFY Wire in an exclusive statement. "Ryan Gosling will be a fantastic Ghost Rider and Shawn Levy is the perfect director to bring this character to life. I can't wait to see the Spirit of Vengeance back up on the big screen."
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance directorial duties fell to Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. The script was credited to Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman and David S. Goyer.
Gosling, who has spent years lobbying for the role (with plenty of support from Josh Horowitz), will be the third actor to play Ghost Rider in a live-action format after Cage and Gabriel Luna—the latter of whom portrayed the Robbie Reyes incarnation of the character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I think he's gonna come back in a big way," Johnson predicted in a 2024 interview with SYFY Wire. "You get a chance to steward these characters for a couple years and then you got to step back and let other people do it. And as a fan, you're excited to see different interpretations. There's so many interpretations of Batman. I loved the new one and I can't wait to see where that goes. I would love to see different versions of Ghost Rider come along."
Johnson's other pre-MCU efforts included Daredevil and Elektra starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, respectively. Garner, of course, reprised Elektra in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Marvel Studios' Hall H panel also contained the announcement of a third Black Panther movie, in which Alien: Romulus star David Jonsson will play T'Challa's son, and a fresh look at Avengers: Doomsday, which showed Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) commanding an army of Sentinels.
