Ryan Gosling’s Ghost Rider hires Dune: Part Three cinematographer and will shoot on film
Ryan Gosling’s Ghost Rider has nabbed major talent from Dune Part 3 — a behind-the-scenes hire that could reshape how Shawn Levy’s Marvel film looks.
Right, so Marvel are taking a bit of a turn with their new Ghost Rider film, and there’s already some curious shuffling behind the scenes. If you’re one of those people who cares about how a Marvel movie “looks” rather than how many punch-ups it gets through per reel, this one should be on your radar. Ryan Gosling is heading up the cast — he's apparently your next Johnny Blaze, for those keeping score — but it’s the camera department that’s just nicked the spotlight.
Marvel’s new Ghost Rider is set for cinemas on 28 July 2028.
Major Sci-Fi Cred in the Mix
The big bit of news here is that Shawn Levy (yes, that Shawn Levy) will be directing, and he’s pinched Linus Sandgren as director of photography. If you don’t know the name, you’ll probably know the visuals: Sandgren’s latest is the upcoming Dune: Part Three. He’s not some Marvel VFX regular — he’s proper, with actual film under his nails. And that’s rather the point: Ghost Rider will be shot on actual celluloid, not digital. Marvel have been a bit digital-obsessed up to now, so this feels almost rebellious by their standards.
The other old-school choice: they’re doing the whole thing on location in New York, instead of hiding Gosling under a load of LED screens in Atlanta or wherever. Physically shooting in New York does make you wonder just how gritty they’re willing to let this get.
The Key Players
This version of Ghost Rider gets Ryan Gosling in the title role — expect him as Johnny Blaze, since that’s who the studio are keen to push again. For the uninitiated: Blaze rides a motorcycle, tangles with the devil, and ends up as the Marvel Universe’s most flammable vigilante. First appeared in the comics all the way back in 1972, a product of the dark corners of the seventies’ imagination, though more recently, Nicolas Cage had a go at it with his own peculiar flair.
Levy is not a stranger to Gosling, having worked with him recently on Star Wars: Starfighter (no relation to Top Gun or Star Wars as you actually know it). They've brought in Jonathan Tropper — again from Starfighter — to write the screenplay.
The producers’ bench is a crowded one: long-standing Marvel boss Kevin Feige returns, joined by Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, and, interestingly, both Levy and Gosling themselves.
Potential Villain and Supporting Cast
Worth flagging up a fresh casting rumour: Connor Storrie is reportedly in talks for the undisclosed villain role. If the name isn’t ringing a bell yet, you might’ve seen him play Ilya Rozanov, the prodigy in the 2025 hockey drama Heated Rivalry. That, along with an Emmy nomination for hosting Saturday Night Live, has made him one to watch this side of the Atlantic. He’s also got a part in Sarah Polley’s take on The Bell Jar, so clearly he’s everywhere at the moment.
- Marvel’s Ghost Rider will be shot on location in New York — not a soundstage in Georgia.
- Linus Sandgren, fresh off Dune: Part Three, is coming in as cinematographer — they're shooting on actual film.
- Ryan Gosling leads, directed by Shawn Levy (with Jonathan Tropper on script duties).
- Connor Storrie is in talks to play an undisclosed villain.
- Studio has staked out 28 July 2028 for release.
The first official announcement for this project landed at San Diego Comic-Con last July, with producers Richie Palmer and Jessie Henderson also on board as executive producers. The comic book connection is still strong for this one, but the production choices — big names, film stock, and New York skyline — suggest Marvel are chasing a very different sort of tone compared to their usual CGI-fest.