Ryan Gosling Is Ghost Rider: Marvel's SDCC 2026 Hall H Panel

Ryan Gosling walked onto the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday evening to the sound of a revving motorcycle, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed what months of speculation had pointed toward: Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a new Marvel Cinematic Universe film, directed by Shawn Levy and set for a 2028 theatrical release.

The announcement landed early in Marvel's first Hall H presentation since 2024, with about 7,000 fans in attendance. Feige's panel was movies-only he confirmed at the outset that no television announcements would follow and Ghost Rider was the first major reveal.

What Gosling Said on Stage

Gosling addressed the Hall H crowd directly after Feige's introduction. "As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a very long time," he said, according to the official Marvel Studios statement. "But if we're really going to do this, there's only one director who can do it."

Levy then joined him on stage. The director referenced the pair's work on Star Wars: Starfighter, currently scheduled for 2027, explaining that the Ghost Rider project grew out of conversations during that production. "We spent a lot of time last year making Star Wars: Starfighter," Levy said, "and as Ryan started talking about his vision for this character, we started riffing, and I finally said 'Bro, let's ride.'"

The Ghost Rider logo debuted at Comic-Con. No exact theatrical date within 2028 was announced, according to multiple live reports covering the panel.

Gosling and Levy's Collaboration Extends Across Two Disney Franchises

Levy directed Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel Studios, released in 2024, and is now attached to two Disney productions in succession Star Wars: Starfighter with Gosling, followed by Ghost Rider. For Gosling, the role marks his debut as a superhero or comic book character. The Hollywood Reporter noted he had been considered for Green Lantern in an earlier era of DC development. Ghost Rider also follows his leading role in Project Hail Mary, released March 20, 2026, and precedes Star Wars: Starfighter giving him major franchise releases across 2026–2028 as a three-time Academy Award nominee.

The two Levy projects represent a concentrated actor-director collaboration across two Disney franchise properties, back to back.

Which Version of Ghost Rider Will Gosling Play?

Which version of Ghost Rider Gosling will portray has not been confirmed by Marvel. The studio's official announcement referred only to "Ghost Rider." Comics Beat and others noted it remains open whether he will play Johnny Blaze, the motorcycle stuntman who made a deal with the devil and first appeared in Marvel Spotlight No. 5 in August 1972, or Danny Ketch, the 1990s version who inherited the mantle. Deadline reported the film's story follows Johnny Blaze Eva Mendes appeared opposite Nicolas Cage's Blaze in the first Sony-era Ghost Rider film in 2007 though that has not been confirmed by Marvel.

Ghost Rider's Path to the MCU

Ghost Rider has existed at the edges of Marvel's screen universe for two decades without landing in the main MCU timeline. Nicolas Cage starred as Johnny Blaze in Sony's Ghost Rider in 2007 and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which had its wide theatrical release in February 2012, both predating the MCU's expansion into Marvel's supernatural characters.

Gabriel Luna then played Robbie Reyes a later Ghost Rider tied to a Hell Charger rather than a classic motorcycle in Season 4 of ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. A subsequent standalone Ghost Rider series planned for Hulu, featuring Luna, did not move forward. Marvel's own background on that project identifies Luna with the Robbie Reyes version.

Gosling's Ghost Rider, directed by Levy and positioned as a theatrical MCU release, marks the character's formal entry into the shared cinematic universe separate from the Sony films and the Marvel Television era.

Additional Announcements From the Hall H Panel

The Ghost Rider reveal opened a panel that covered several confirmed developments for the MCU.

Avengers: Endgame Encore Feige told the Hall H crowd that Avengers: Endgame will return to theatres on September 25, 2026, with an exclusive first look at Avengers: Doomsday attached. Marvel's official release date for Doomsday itself remains December 18, 2026.

Avengers: Doomsday footage Exclusive footage screened for Hall H attendees featured Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards confronting Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, with Doom summoning an army of Sentinels. Dialogue reported by multiple live blogs included Reed shouting "Did you do this?" and Sue Storm reflecting that she "didn't know how broken he truly was." Joe and Anthony Russo took the stage as directors, with Downey joining the cast on stage. Ryan Reynolds was spotted in the Hall H audience during the Doomsday segment. His role in that film remains unresolved as covered separately in reporting on Deadpool's still-unconfirmed status in Avengers: Doomsday.

Black Panther 3 Ryan Coogler confirmed he will return to direct Black Panther 3, dated for December 15, 2028, with filming planned on 70mm announced as a first for an MCU production. The film will centre on T'Challa's son, T'Challa II, as the new Black Panther, with David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) cast in the role as an older version of the character first seen in Wakanda Forever. Letitia Wright and Winston Duke were both on stage with Coogler.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day An exclusive clip of Spider-Man, Jon Bernthal's Punisher, and Mark Ruffalo's Smart Hulk was screened. The film opens in theatres on July 31, 2026.

Hayley Atwell Live coverage from multiple outlets confirmed Atwell appeared at the panel in connection with Avengers: Doomsday, signalling a return as Peggy Carter. Marvel had not updated its official Doomsday cast page to reflect her appearance as of the time of the panel.

Ghost Rider's Place in Marvel's Late-2020s Slate

Marvel's late-2020s calendar Ghost Rider in 2028, Black Panther 3 on December 15, 2028, and Avengers: Secret Wars on December 17, 2027 positions the Ghost Rider film as a standalone character-building entry ahead of the MCU's post-Secret Wars phase.

Levy's attachment links the film to a director who has delivered for the studio before: Deadpool & Wolverine grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide. Ghost Rider has a different tone Marvel's supernatural antihero line has usually stayed separate from the main Avengers storyline but the casting of Gosling alongside a director with that commercial track record places it firmly in the studio's major-release tier.

Gosling is confirmed to appear in Star Wars: Starfighter in May 2027 before Ghost Rider reaches theatres.

Avengers: Endgame Encore opens September 25, 2026. Avengers: Doomsday follows on December 18, 2026. Ghost Rider is set for 2028.