A new Ghost Rider movie is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Ryan Gosling set to play the lead role. The film will be directed by Shawn Levy, who previously worked on Deadpool & Wolverine.
This character has a complex and unusual origin story that makes him hard to explain simply. In the original comic from 1972, a stunt motorcyclist named Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the devil. He trades his soul to save his adoptive father from cancer, but the treatment fails and the father dies. The devil tries to claim Johnny’s soul, but fails, so he binds Johnny to a demon named Zarathos. This arrangement is supposed to lead to suffering and eternal punishment, but the character survives it. Johnny ends up with a flaming skull and supernatural powers, along with a motorcycle that can travel through buildings and dimensions.
Ryan Gosling has long wanted to play this character and approached Marvel with his own ideas for how to portray Ghost Rider. He has a strong reputation in Hollywood and could choose any role he wants within the Marvel universe.
Previous Ghost Rider movies with Nicolas Cage were not well received, mostly because of the over-the-top acting style. The first movie from 2007 looked like a low-budget attempt to make a superhero film from a heavy-metal album cover. The second movie, Spirit of Vengeance, made the character seem like he was only meant to scream and run toward the camera.
One benefit of this role is that it’s far from the center of the Marvel universe. The character doesn’t have to join the Avengers or fight Thanos right away. This gives Gosling more freedom to shape the movie in his own way.
However, this approach is different from how Marvel built its success in the past. Iron Man was cast with Robert Downey Jr., who wasn’t a major star at that time. Marvel is now in a different era than it was in 2008, when the first Iron Man movie came out. The company is not guaranteed to make blockbuster hits like it once did. Marvel may be willing to take a chance on a star who has a strong reputation and is well-liked by audiences.
This could be a smart move for both the studio and the actor. Marvel gets a new hero, and Gosling gets the chance to create something original from a character that has been poorly handled before.
The movie will give Ghost Rider a fresh start in the Marvel universe.
IMAGE: Ryan Gosling au festival de Cannes. Photo: Georges Biard / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
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