Ryan Gosling is set to play Johnny Blaze or Ghost Rider in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie. The announcement was made by director Shawn Levy, who worked with Gosling on the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.
Levy is known for directing Deadpool and Wolverine. “As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a long time,” Gosling told the crowd. However, many fans have drawn comparisons with Nicolas Cage, who first played Ghost Rider. Gosling's choice has left fans divided. While many feel that this is a downgrade, others have pointed out that Nic Cage's movie had not done too well critically either, and have pinned their hopes on the new hero.
Ghost Rider choice leaves fans divided
One fan asked on X “Ryan Gosling replacing Nicolas Cage as Ghost Rider…Upgrade or downgrade?.” Meanwhile, another opined “ryan gosling as ghost rider is crazyyyyyy no shade i don’t think nick cage can be topped,” showing clear preference for the old Ghost Rider.
Another called it the ‘biggest downgrade in MCU history’. “Biggest Downgrade in MCU History. Nicolas Cage >>> Ryan Gosling,” they wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Another called it the ‘biggest downgrade in MCU history’. “Biggest Downgrade in MCU History. Nicolas Cage >>> Ryan Gosling,” they wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, some went to bat for Gosling and said “It’s genuinely funny when I read posts like “Ryan Gosling is too old to play Ghost Rider” (maybe?) and then people feeling nostalgic about the Nic Cage movie and wondering if those shoes are too big to fill (LMAO that movie wasn’t good).”
In the comics, Johnny Blaze becomes Ghost Rider by making a pact with a demon to save the soul of his surrogate father. This ties him to a Spirit of Vengeance and he turns into Ghost Rider - replete with a blazing skeleton, a cool leather jacket, and a bike that strikes fear in the heart of enemies.
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Nicolas Cage portrayed the role in two movies, with the second doing worse than the first among critics and fans. The individual who pointed out that Nic Cage's Ghost Rider was not all the good to begin with, was not far wrong as per IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes scores. However, many fans of the character grew up seeing Nicolas Cage play the part, so they've noted that it's ‘hard’ to see someone else take up the mantle of the Ghost Rider now.
Notably, while Gosling might have snagged Nic Cage's MCU part, the veteran actor remains a part of the comic universe. He recently played Spider-Man in the Spider-Noir series which was praised for its visuals and homage to the film noir style.
Ryan Gosling's wife played Nic Cage's love interest
Interestingly, Ryan Gosling has had a strange connection to Ghost Rider even before he took on the role. His wife, Eva Mendes, played Johnny Blaze's love interest in the Ghost Rider movies.
Mendes essayed the role of Roxanne Simpson, a reporter who used to be in love with Blaze and found the flames of romance rekindle when she met him as he grappled with being the Ghost Rider.
Many fans were quick to catch onto this. “It’s also pretty funny that Eva Mendes did a GHOST RIDER movie before her significant other Ryan Gosling did,” one commented. Another added “Eva Mendes might be the key for ghost rider im ngl”.
Yet another shared a post of Mendes with Gosling, and her character with Blaze from the movie.
“Eva Mendes loves Ghost Rider,” they said. The coincidence sparked speculations about whether Mendes would return to playing Simpson opposite husband Gosling's Blaze. However, there's been no confirmation about this yet. No release date has been set for the new Ghost Rider movie either.