Kevin Feige Says the Internet Got Ryan Gosling Cast as Ghost Rider

Ryan Gosling’s casting as Ghost Rider didn’t happen overnight, and according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, it didn’t happen without fans pushing for it first.

Feige confirmed to ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan after Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con that years of online fan-casting discussions directly shaped the studio’s decision to eventually approach Gosling.

“It was when the internet was doing its thing and talking about who a great Ghost Rider would be, and that happens a lot,” Feige said, describing how the enthusiasm led to real conversations with Gosling over time.

The timeline behind that decision stretches back four years. Gosling first named Ghost Rider as his preferred Marvel role during the 2022 press tour for The Gray Man, after denying rumors he’d been approached to play Nova.

According to WDW News Today, journalist Josh Horowitz reported that Gosling had personally reached out to clarify which character he actually wanted.

Feige responded publicly that same year, saying he’d “love to find a place for him in the MCU.” By March 2026, Gosling confirmed to Variety that “some discussions have been had,” though he described the situation as complicated.

That four-year arc reached its payoff on July 25, when Horowitz, continuing a running bit, asked Feige from the Hall H crowd why Gosling still wasn’t cast.

Feige responded by bringing Gosling onto the stage. “Wow, is this really happening?” Gosling said, before adding, “As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time. So, Kevin, Josh Horowitz, Hall H, thank you.”

Director Shawn Levy, who previously directed Deadpool & Wolverine, will helm the project, reuniting with Gosling after their work together on Star Wars: Starfighter.

Levy told the Hall H crowd the idea developed organically during that production. “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!”

What Marvel hasn’t confirmed is just as notable as what it has. According to Yahoo Entertainment and ScreenRant, the studio has not revealed a specific release date beyond a 2028 window, supporting cast details, or which version of the character Gosling will actually play.

Nicolas Cage portrayed Johnny Blaze in Sony’s 2007 and 2011 Ghost Rider films, while Gabriel Luna played the Robbie Reyes version in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Whether Gosling takes on Blaze, Danny Ketch, or another incarnation entirely remains unconfirmed.

The announcement also carries a personal dimension that outlets have covered separately from the fan-casting story. Eva Mendes, Gosling’s longtime partner, starred as Roxanne Simpson opposite Cage in the original 2007 film.

She marked Gosling’s casting by resharing a fan-edited clip from The Place Beyond the Pines, the 2012 film where the couple met, captioning it “Love, Roxy,” a direct reference to her own Ghost Rider character.

E! Online separately noted Gosling has spoken before about that film’s personal significance, telling GQ in 2023 that certain scenes with Mendes felt less like acting and more like a preview of the family they’d later build together.

Taken as a whole, this is a rare, verifiable case of a major studio casting decision shaped openly by fan campaigns rather than internal development alone, confirmed directly by the executive who made the call, layered with a genuine four-year paper trail and a personal connection that predates the casting itself.

What remains open, the character’s exact identity and the rest of the film’s cast, will likely define how this story continues to develop before its 2028 release.

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