Nicolas Cage finally speaks out on Ryan Gosling taking over Ghost Rider
Nicolas Cage has weighed in on Ryan Gosling saddling up as the MCU’s Ghost Rider — and his verdict leaves little room for doubt.
Here's a fun bit of superhero torch-passing you don't see every day: Nicolas Cage, the original Johnny Blaze on the big screen, has finally chimed in about Ryan Gosling taking on the very same flaming skull in Marvel's next round of cinematic universe expansions. If you like your franchise history convoluted and just a bit self-referential, stick around.
Ryan’s going to do his thing with it, and I’m looking forward to seeing it.
That was Cage, on the red carpet for his new film Madden, offering up some classic old-pro well-wishing when asked about Gosling's casting in the new MCU Ghost Rider flick. He wasn't done there, either—Cage said they've had 'nice conversations' and still keep in touch. No cagey shade from Nic, just a bit of class and a 'good luck' to his successor. Genuinely, he sounds pleased (which is more than we've got from some other legacy superhero actors, frankly).
For anyone who missed the 2000s, Cage was the first to bring Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider to life in Sony's 2007 film and its sequel, where he rode a flaming motorcycle and chewed his fair share of scenery. Now, with the MCU doing what it does—folding every spare Marvel character into a massive continuity—the Ghost Rider mantle's about to get a fresh paint job. Gosling was already making noises about wanting the part well before Marvel announced anything, so this isn't a bolt-from-the-blue casting choice. The official word dropped at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026, confirming Gosling for the lead—and yes, he apparently really is a fan.
The MCU Ghost Rider film is set to hit US cinemas on 28 July 2028.
The history (and chaos) of Ghost Rider
If you're wondering where all this Ghost Rider business started, the comic origins are more tangled than your old mixtape cables. Ghost Rider as a concept first appeared in Marvel comics back in the early '70s, courtesy of writer Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and artist Mike Ploog. That version—the Johnny Blaze incarnation—is the one Cage made his own on screen. But, because it's Marvel, there's also a previous Ghost Rider who later became Phantom Rider, and still more came after: most notably Robbie Reyes, portrayed on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Gabriel Luna. Blaze himself made a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in that same show, but it was a stunt double (Tom McComas) under the CGI flames.
- Nicolas Cage starred in Ghost Rider (2007) and its 2011 follow-up as Johnny Blaze for Sony.
- Gosling, meanwhile, has been pushing to play Ghost Rider for years before landing the role in the MCU version.
- Original Blaze creators: Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, and Mike Ploog (1972’s Marvel Spotlight).
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saw both a Johnny Blaze cameo and a full-on Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider (Gabriel Luna).
- Gosling's partner Eva Mendes also starred in the first Cage film—a small but entertaining bit of symmetry.
The new Ghost Rider will be directed by Shawn Levy and, in case you're mapping your franchise calendars, will land in US theatres on 28 July 2028. Marvel's clearly hoping for a bit of supernatural spark to freshen up Phase what-number-are-we-on-now, and Gosling rides in at just the right moment for an actor looking to keep adding oddball blockbusters to his CV.