If not the Blade, Gosling will be the Invisible Horseman.

Ryan Gosling has been cast as the new Ghost Rider in a Marvel Cinematic Universe project, marking his return to the superhero genre after several years away. The announcement was made during last week’s Comic-Con in San Diego, where Marvel confirmed the casting of the Canadian star, known for roles in La La Land and Barbie, who will portray the titular character in a film directed by Shawn Levy, best known for Deadpool & Wolverine and The Last Days of American Crime. This marks the first time since 2007 that the iconic antihero will appear on screen, with Nicolas Cage having previously played the role in two films that received mixed critical reception. Gosling had expressed interest in playing the part four years ago, according to reports from American media. He reportedly approached Marvel president Kevin Feige directly with his vision for the character. While the original comic book version of Ghost Rider, created in 1972, features a motorcycle-riding, fire-spewing antihero named Johnny Blaze, who sells his soul to the Devil to save his adoptive father from cancer, the cinematic interpretation has evolved over the decades. The character is known for his supernatural powers, including the ability to ride motorcycles along walls and through water, and for wearing a flaming skull mask while punishing those more evil than himself. In contrast to the confirmation of Gosling's involvement in the Ghost Rider project, Mahershala Ali has publicly stated he will not be reprising the role of Blade, the vampire-hunting antihero introduced in the 1998 film. The actor, who won two Oscars for supporting roles in Moonlight and Green Book, confirmed in a recent interview with GQ that Marvel has decided not to proceed with a reboot of the franchise. “For some reason, this project wasn’t meant for me,” Ali said. “I had a signed contract, they have billions of dollars. If they wanted to make the movie, they would have.” According to Ali, the decision appears to rest with Marvel rather than him. “I’m ready to move on from these questions,” he added. “These are questions for the studio. They didn’t want to make the movie, so they should answer them.” His comments come in response to Kevin Feige’s statement that he feels like a “huge loss” because the project did not materialize under Ali’s direction. The Blade project was initially announced in 2019 at Comic-Con in San Diego, with director Bassam Tariq attached to the film. However, Tariq left the project in 2022 due to creative differences just months before production was set to begin. He later collaborated with Ali on another film titled Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which is scheduled for a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Despite the cancellation of the Blade reboot, Marvel has found a way to incorporate the character into its universe. In the 2021 film Eternals, Ali lent his voice to a brief scene featuring Blade, and in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), the studio surprised fans by bringing back Wesley Snipes, who originally portrayed the character in the 1998–2004 trilogy. The original idea for Blade came from screenwriter David S. Goyer in the 1990s, who proposed the adaptation of the comic book series. At the time, New Line Cinema considered only Wesley Snipes, Denzel Washington, or Laurence Fishburne for the role, with Snipes being Goyer’s top choice. The initial success of the Blade films led to a sequel, though the second installment received harsh criticism from critics and audiences alike. While the future of the Blade franchise remains uncertain, the casting of Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider signals a renewed interest in the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a new director and a fresh approach, the upcoming film could offer a different take on the antihero, potentially drawing inspiration from both the comics and previous cinematic interpretations. Meanwhile, Mahershala Ali continues to explore other projects, including a stop-motion animated film called Wildwood and the third installment in the Spider-Man animated film series, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.