Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Ghost Rider

  • Fanning the Flames — Ryan Gosling Confirms “Complicated” Ghost Rider Conversations with Marvel

    Fanning the Flames — Ryan Gosling Confirms “Complicated” Ghost Rider Conversations with Marvel

    The worst-kept secret in the MCU just got a hell of a lot more interesting. For years, Ryan Gosling has been the internet’s favorite fancast for Johnny Blaze, and the actor himself hasn’t exactly been shy about his desire to “set his face on fire.” But today, the smoke finally led to a fire.

    While promoting his upcoming sci-fi flick, Project Hail Mary, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gosling dropped a nuke: discussions with Marvel Studios have officially happened.

    When host Josh Horowitz asked point-blank if he had met with Kevin Feige about the Spirit of Vengeance, Gosling hit the gas instead of the brakes. “Some discussions have been had,” Gosling teased. “It’s a complicated situation. But we keep hope alive.”

    It sounds as though both sides of the equation are equally interested in making the discussions bear fruit. In 2022, Marvel Studios Head Honcho Kevin Feige said that if Gosling wantes to be Ghost Rider, they’d love to find a place for him. “Ryan is amazing… I’d love to find a place for him in the MCU,” Feige said at the time.

    The timing of these comments is interesting. With Project Hail Mary currently sitting at a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and Gosling the star of Shawn Levy’s upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, his star power has never been higher. Marvel needs a heavy hitter to anchor their supernatural corner, and Gosling has the rare ability to play the reluctant hero with the exact kind of intensity Johnny Blaze requires. And with the character allegedly set to be part of the ensemble cast in the rumored Midnight Sons project, a resolution to the situation may be coming sooner than later.

  • New Report Reveals Marvel Studios Post-Secret Wars Streaming Slate

    New Report Reveals Marvel Studios Post-Secret Wars Streaming Slate

    As the calendar rolls over to 2026, Marvel Studios prepares to begin production on the final projects of its Multiverse Saga. Both Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again and Avengers: Secret Wars are expected to kick off principal photography in either the late first quarter or early second quarter of the year, ahead of their 2027 releases. That leaves a lot of time in the second half of the year for the studio to get to work on whatever it is they’re going to call the next saga and while that might be unclear at present, the first several projects of it are far more defined.

    What I can say is, it’s just inherently interesting and complex material. The core idea of what X-Men is involves complexity.

    –X-Men director Jake Schreier

    Though it’s reportedly undergoing a rewrite, Marvel has already begun working on X-Men, according to director Jake Schreier. Casting for the youth-focused reboot was reportedly set to get underway in late 2025 and the film is expected to be one of the four Marvel Studios projects to hit theaters in 2028.

    Black Panther 3 is also on track for a 2028 release and a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps will likely land there as well. In addition, Thor, Doctor Strange and Shang-Chi sequels could be on the docket in 2028 and beyond, as well as the studio’s long-awaited Blade reboot or the Midnight Sons ensemble film or Ryan Reynolds X-Men team-up film. As ordered as the theatrical side of the slate seems to be, streaming appears a bit more chaotic.

    Outside of a potential fourth season of Daredevil: Born Again and third seasons of X-Men ’97 and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Television’s post-Secret Wars slate is pretty undefined. However, a new report might provide a potential outline for what’s to come over the next several years.

    According to Daniel Richtman, Marvel Television is developing a Jessica Jones project and its long-developing Champions project alongside the recently revived Strange Academy for the new saga. Additionally, a Ghost Rider project is said to be underway, though Richtman didn’t indicate which branch of the studio would be working on it.

    In the case of Ghost Rider, rumors have ranged from the studio having lined up The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus to portray Johnny Blaze to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Gabriel Luna jumping to the MCU to reprise the role of Robbie Reyes to Nicholas Cage making a cameo appearance as the character in Deadpool & Wolverine. To date, of course, there’s been nary a Ghost Rider to be found but that may change soon if Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, gets his way. “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider,” revealed Winderbaum in 2024 interview. “I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.”

    There’s a lot of stuff that I’ve felt there was room to explore, and Brad and I talked about it and I am not going to say any of it, because we’re going to be doing it.

    -Krysten Ritter

    After appearing at NYCC 2025, Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter revealed that she and Marvel Television top dog had been discussing the potential for Jones-centric projects, which Winderbaum teased may be “coming sooner than you think.”

    With Strange Academy reportedly now looking for a new writer and the studio locked in on the core cast of Champions, which was at one point being developed by Shrinking writer Rachna Fruchbom, those projects do indeed seem to be good bets to hit D+ between 2028 and 2032, which is currently how far out Kevin Feige claims to have planned the new saga.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Making Room for a Highly-anticipated Hero in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Making Room for a Highly-anticipated Hero in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Despite a rough couple of years, heading into Year 16 it’s safe to say that Marvel Studios still has plenty left in the tank. Even after an uneven Phase 5, the Multiverse Saga promises to introduce The Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom, characters whose presence in the MCU was once nothing but a pipe dream. According to Kevin Feige, Avengers: Secret Wars will open the door to the X-Men, finally bringing the mutant heroes to the MCU after being mismanaged by Fox. And those headliners are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what fans have to look forward in 2027 and beyond.

    Marvel’s greatest Cosmic hero, Richard Rider, will finally make his long-awaited debut in the as-yet-undated D+ streaming series, Nova; a new generation of young heroes will come together to form the Champions; and a group of young mages and mystics from across all dimensions are rumored to set foot in Strange Academy. As bumpy as the ride through the Multiverse Saga has been, there’s plenty to look forward to once it comes to an end; however, it’s not quite there yet…and a new report indicates that one long-awaited character has some major work to do before it’s all said and done.

    It seems as though Marvel Studios has finally found the right vehicle to introduce the Spirit of Vengeance into the MCU. According to social media scooper @ApocHorseman, a Ghost Rider will play a “major role” in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday.

    Word of the potential appearance comes months after Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum addressed the persistent rumors surrounding the character’s absence from the MCU. Though the new report from @ApocHorseman does not reveal which Ghost Rider from the pages of Marvel Comics will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, Winderbaum may have given it away, saying “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider.”

    While it’s unclear and a little confusing as to what role a Spirit of Vengeance might have in Avengers: Doomsday, it’s likely fans will concern themselves very little if one shows up…especially if the studio manages to land Ryan Gosling in the role.

  • Marvel Studios Rumored to Be Bringing Beloved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Character Back for D+ Series

    Marvel Studios Rumored to Be Bringing Beloved ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Character Back for D+ Series

    With the D+ premiere of Daredevil: Born Again creeping closer each day, fans of the Netflix Daredevil series are rejoicing over Marvel Studios’ decision to canonize the Defenders-verse projects. After an admitted period of being “a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not“, the studio’s willingness to embrace the characters, stories and tone from Netflix’s Marvel series–a decision that was heavily influenced by stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D‘Onofrio–seems to have benefitted Daredevil: Born Again both creatively behind the scenes and with fans.

    During our restart of all the creative on Daredevil: Born Again, all the creatives got together and said, “Look, this is how we’ve got to do it now.” So we are for sure only speaking about it in terms of being directly connected to the original Daredevil, and that’s a great thing. It brings in a lot of cool stories and all the collateral story that happened in those original three seasons. So we now get to start this Born Again situation with all of that history behind us and the outcome of all that history. So we’re all talking about Daredevil: Born Again in those terms now.

    –Vincent D’Onofrio

    While fans of the Defenders-verse are feeling satisfied with the studio’s change of heart, fans of the MCU’s first TV series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., are still waiting for those same warm fuzzies. After recently rethinking the way its streaming projects were branded and marketed, Marvel Studios has put a significant amount of space between itself and the previous “It’s All Connected” era in which Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuted.

    According to Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, the decision was made to make the ever-expanding MCU more accessible to new fans. “There was a lot of pressure post-Avengers: Endgame on the public to feel obligated to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything,” Winderbaum explained. “Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand.” And so far, Agents of S H.I.E.L.D. remains part of what the public should not feel obligated to watch.

    While Winderbaum enthusiastically supported the canonization of the Netflix series, he’s been unable to give any of Marvel’s ABC series, including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the same support. “I want to go down this road with you, you know I do, but we’re just gonna take a deep breath for a second,” said Winderbaum in August 2024 when asked about the series place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. Four months later, the Marvel TV boss was no closer to canonizing the long-running series, saying “It’s exciting for me to think about how to square those ABC shows with the canon.” Now a new rumor making the rounds could indicate that Winderbaum has found a way to square things up…or that he’s decided to move even further away from adopting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Sacred Timeline.

    According to the always industrious insider My Time to Shine Hello, Marvel Studios is developing a Ghost Rider streaming series. While there’s no mention of which of several comic book Ghost Riders would be the series’ lead, AoS fans will undoubtedly hold onto hope that the D+ series will feature Gabriel Luna’s Robbie Reyes, who debuted in Season 4 of the ABC melodrama.

    I died, and there’s nothing, there’s just darkness. Then I heard a voice, asking me if I wanted a second chance, did I want to punish those who hurt my brother, did I want to avenge my own death. I answered yes, more than anything, yes. I was alive again, and you’re right, there was someone there when I came to. But it wasn’t a Good Samaritan. It was the Devil. Whatever was inside him, he passed it into me.

    -Robbie Reyes, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Season 4

    While there’s no official word from Marvel on a Ghost Rider project, Winderbaum did recently reveal his desire to get the Spirit of Vengeance into the MCU. However, should Marvel Television’s big cheese have his way, it would not feature Reyes. “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider,” Winderbaum revealed, adding “I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.“

    Should Marvel Television indeed be moving ahead with a Ghost Rider series, it could quietly serve as the final judgement on the Sacred Timeline canonicity of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., putting to rest one of the final lingering debates of a different era of Marvel entertainment.

  • Marvel TV Boss Finally Addresses Long-Standing ‘Ghost Rider’ Rumors

    Marvel TV Boss Finally Addresses Long-Standing ‘Ghost Rider’ Rumors

    While the events of Agatha All Along spin out of Marvel Studios’ first streaming series, WandaVision, the new Marvel Television also plays as a bit of a spiritual successor to Werewolf By Night. Darker and spookier than WandaVision, Agatha All Along examines witchcraft through a far more supernatural lens than its predecessor, embracing old-school horror in a way reminiscent of Michael Giacchino‘s 2022 Special Presentation. Curses, demons, ghosts, haunted houses and more await Agatha’s coven of chaos, fleshing out the MCU’s supernatural corner in a way no project other than Werewolf By Night has done.

    While choosing Agatha All Along as the vehicle to explore the supernatural world further, that exploration is something that Marvel Studios has been rumored to have an interest in for years. In addition to the studio’s struggling Blade feature film, rumors have suggested that development on projects such as Midnight Sons and Ghost Rider has been underway at different points in time over the past several years.

    In the case of Ghost Rider, rumors have ranged from the studio having lined up The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus to portray Johnny Blaze to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Gabriel Luna jumping to the MCU to reprise the role of Robbie Reyes to Nicholas Cage making a cameo appearance as the character in Deadpool & Wolverine. To date, of course, there’s been nary a Ghost Rider to be found but that may change soon if Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum, gets his way.

    In an interview with Collider, Winderbaum revealed that if he had the option to green light one Marvel Television streaming series, it would indeed be Ghost Rider; however, there’s a catch…

    “I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider,” revealed Winderbaum. “I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider.“

    On Winderbaum’s last point, there can be no doubt. While any version of Ghost Rider may never be one of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters, the character’s aesthetic is inarguably one of their most iconic. And while Blaze was the comic’s OG Ghost Rider, he’s hardly the only character to house the Spirit of Vengeance. And while Winderbaum’s choice to focus on Ketch may catch some fans by surprise, it would certainly not preclude Blaze from making his MCU debut. Indeed, making Ketch the lead of a Ghost Rider series almost certainly means that Blaze, who is Ketch’s brother, plays some role.

    Of course with Winderbaum continuing to trot out the company line that Marvel Television is developing more projects than it intended to produce, don’t start your Hell Cycle engines just yet on that Ketch-focused Ghost Rider series ever being more than an idea than a reality.

    Source: Collider

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios’ ‘Ghost Rider’ May Release This Year

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios’ ‘Ghost Rider’ May Release This Year

    There are many characters that people want to see join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve already had a smorgasbord of new additions throughout the last few years, especially in the ambitious Multiverse Saga. Yet, that hasn’t stopped other rumors making the rounds on who else might have their future. Werewolf by Night, especially, introduced a more horror-centric corner of the MCU opening up many more potentially getting their own chance at a similar adaptation through a Special Presentation.

    Given the horror theme, the most popular choice was Ghost Rider, who has long been rumored to potentially appear in his own project. No matter which version they may adapt, there’s been quite a few rumors making the rounds that they may be developing a project. Gabriel Luna, who previously played the character in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series also was quite excited to potentially return to the role given his Hulu spinoff series was canceled.

    Now, a new rumor is making the rounds from Geeks Worldwide’s KC Walsh about the long-rumored project. While he does not have any details on what exactly we can expect from it, he does point to the fact that it’s currently set to release this year in 2023. If they stick to a similar production schedule like Werewolf by Night, they would have to start production in the coming months but it would be possible if they are aiming for a Halloween special. If that is true, we might get more rumors soon, and likely have to wait a bit before we find out more.

    Source: Twitter

  • Marvel Studios Should Make Michael Giacchino the Architect of Their Horror Future

    Marvel Studios Should Make Michael Giacchino the Architect of Their Horror Future

    Werewolf By Night’s debut on Disney Plus is extraordinarily timed. Not just because it’s a few weeks out from Halloween, but also because it comes at a time when the MCU is under heavy criticism from fans who can’t seem to get a handle on where “things are headed” in the Multiverse Saga. While the Special Presentation may not give fans any clarity on that issue, there is not doubt that Werewolf By Night knows EXACTLY what it is and, on a larger scale, what horror in the MCU could be.

    Michael Giacchino is a legendary composer, arguably the greatest of his generation; however, he had never taken the reigns as a director on a project as large as Werewolf By Night before. Given that relative inexperience, fans understandably questioned if the cut of his jib was right for a feature-length project. Now that audiences can see and digest the project, only the most contrarian of critics would make the argument that Giacchino didn’t just “handle it”, but put together one of Marvel Studios’ most unique and artistic projects in its impressive history. And he did so because he knew exactly what he wanted it to be.

    A wonderful homage to the Universal Classic Monster films, Werewolf By Night reconciles century-old sensibilities into cinema’s modern-day monster. Giacchino is as much a fan of those old horror films as we all are of the MCU; they live inside his mind. The result of that is a finished product where nothing feels forced or out of place because it’s all an expression of a project that Giacchino not only wanted to make, but that he’d likely been making in his head, in some form or another, for years. And in true MCU fashion, he made something that serves not only as a one-off masterpiece but could serve to create a brand new corner of the MCU that’s populated with beautiful characters and stories for a decade. And if that is indeed the plan as laid out by Marvel Studios One-Above-All and the Parliament, then this project should have convinced them to allow Giacchino to be its architect.

    Kevin Fiege and the Parliament are busy, busy people. The studio now produces a minimum of six projects a year and as we move further away from the COVID shutdowns of productions, that number could increase. In a situation like that, having an experienced person on a project can save each of the executive producers a great deal of time and Giacchino has as much experience as anyone. Should he write, direct and compose every horror project for Marvel Studios? Absolutely not. But he should write, direct and compose as many as he can and wants to and should be the point person for every one that he does not. Werewolf By Night has defined Marvel Studios’ horror in a very unique way, one that obviously can still be enjoyed by fans of all ages. To ensure that each subsequent horror project stays on brand, it would be wise to have Giacchino acting as at least a consultant, making sure there’s some continuity between them.

    What’s next for the MCU in terms of horror? Beyond Blade, the studio has made no official announcements. Rumors of a Ghost Rider project have come and gone for years; the debut of Moon Knight has fans dreaming of the Midnight Sons; Werewolf By Night leaves the door open to a Legion of Monsters project. With Blade on the hunt for a director, could Giacchino quickly jump on board that project and help new writer Beau DeMayo craft a story that would fit seamlessly with Werewolf By Night? Would he even want to be? For Feige and company, there’s only one way to find out and at this point, it would seem they’d at least make an overture. Giacchino has created something that feels as important as any project Marvel Studios has put out in Phase 4. As they continue to bring back creatives from other projects to work on either successive or associated projects, it would be a shame if they didn’t do the same with Giacchino, who could be to horror what Michael Waldron is to the MCU multiverse.

  • Keanu Reeves Wants to Play MCU’s Ghost Rider

    Keanu Reeves Wants to Play MCU’s Ghost Rider

    Marvel and Keanu Reeves have long been looking for a chance to unite in an upcoming project. While there’s still no confirmation on how they’d find the right role for him, it seems he’s already gotten his eyes on one. During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the actor shared what role he’d love to take on and it turns out he wants to play the Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider.

    Not only that, but he also went on to praise the work of Marvel Studios and how they’ve started to develop their films. It certainly sounds like the actor wants to become a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while others have also been eyeing the role of Ghost Rider, there are enough versions he could choose from.

    It’s really cool. I think the way that the Marvel films have developed and what they are is really spectacular and it would be great to be a part of that.

    Keanu Reeves

    We’ll see if Reeves makes his MCU debut at some point in the near future, but it’ll definitely make headlines once he’s finally confirmed to be a part of this franchise. John Wick was a new starting point for the actor and it’ll be interesting to see what his future looks like in the world of nostalgia.

    Source: YouTube via EW

  • SDCC: Marvel Studios President on Ryan Gosling’s Interest to Play Ghost Rider

    SDCC: Marvel Studios President on Ryan Gosling’s Interest to Play Ghost Rider

    San Diego Comic-Con has come to a close with a bombastic ending by Marvel Studios. They took Hall H by storm by not only announcing Phase 5 but surprising many with the Avengers films that will end the current era of Multiverse films. It was a sweeping reveal and afterward, everyone used their change to ask Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige whatever question they could.

    Among them, Josh Horowitz got a chance to ask him for MTV News if he’s heard about Ryan Gosling‘s interest in playing Ghost Rider. After there were rumors he might be joining another project, such as Nova, the actor swiftly denounced any such casting but shared with Horowitz he would love to tackle the Ghost of Vengeance. Feige was only excited knowing that Gosling was interested and is open to find a spot for him in the MCU.

    Gosling is unbelievable. Ryan is amazing. I’d love to find a place for him in the MCU.

    Kevin Feige

    OF course, he doesn’t reveal if talks have ever taken place but it does seem like something Feige would be excited to have happened. They already started adding quite a few legacy actors to their projects. So, finding the right role for Gosling would be something they wouldn’t want to miss out on.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Almost Featured Ghost Rider, Magneto, and More

    RUMOR: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Almost Featured Ghost Rider, Magneto, and More

    At this point, it’s hard to say who hasn’t been rumored to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. While it has been pointed out in the past that some rumored cameos weren’t ever truly on the board outside of early talks, most notably Tom Cruise as Iron Man, a new rumor is adding some more fuel to the fire to what may have been left on the cutting room floor throughout the film#s production. The Weekly Planet podcast’s James Clement has reportedly shared a few more members of the Marvel multiverse that may have appeared.

    So somebody sent me a list of five characters that were going to be in this movie that were cut… So apparently, yeah, the Wanda killing MCU Mordo, that was real. That was going to happen. Michael Fassbender was going to turn up as Magneto… I said [to my source], ‘Were any of these filmed?’ And this person said, ‘Filmed but ultimately cut from the theatrical version,’ which is what my source relates… Balder the Brave as mentioned, though not given a name… Ghost Rider, which is very interesting as a member of the Illuminati.

    James Clement

    He goes on to highlight that he was going to fight Wanda as well, but even he couldn’t truly survive the onslaught that is Wanda’s fury in Multiverse of Madness. There’s no word, however, if this would’ve been Nicolas Cage reprising his role as Ghost Rider. The mention of Balder the Great was hinted at being the role that Daniel Craig originally was going to tackle. He also goes on to highlight that Deadpool was going to be part of a post-credit sequence.

    He was going to fight Wanda and probably die… and Deadpool was going to be in the post-credits scene.

    James Clement

    So, it’s a little hard to chew that they would film entire sequences but end up just leaving it on the cutting room floor, especially if they managed to get Michael Fassbender to film sequences as Magneto. It also seems unlikely that they would film these sequences and not include them, but the wording could hint at a bonus for the digital release, or perhaps even for an additional theatrical release to give the film the last push to reach a billion. For now, we’ll have to see if anything about this rumor is true.

    Source: YouTube via The Direct