Ryan Gosling is set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the iconic Ghost Rider, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed at San Diego Comic Con. The actor will star in a new standalone film about the fiery antihero, which is slated for release in 2028. The project will be directed by Shawn Levy, who previously helmed "Deadpool & Wolverine" and recently worked with Gosling on the forthcoming "Star Wars: Starfighter" movie.

Levy, who also joined Gosling and Feige onstage for the announcement, reflected on his collaborations with the actor, affectionately calling him "the absolute s***" with tremendous respect. "We spent a lot of time last year making Starfighter, and the opportunity as Ryan started talking about this character, I was like, 'Bro, let's ride.' We'll see you in 2028!" Levy said.

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Gosling's casting marks his latest venture into major cinematic universes. He is also set to appear in the "Star Wars: Starfighter" movie, scheduled for May 2027. The actor's involvement in the Ghost Rider film comes after he exited a project helmed by the directors of "Everything Everywhere All at Once," reportedly due to scheduling conflicts.

IMAGE5 Over the weekend, he took the stage at San Diego Comic Con as a Marvel Studios exec introduced him as the new face of the fiery antihero Ghost Rider

Gosling will take on the mantle previously held by Nicolas Cage, who starred as Johnny Blaze in the 2007 film "Ghost Rider" and its 2011 sequel, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." The character was also portrayed by Gabriel Luna in the television series "Agents of SHIELD."

IMAGE6 Nicolas Cage previously portrayed the fiery motorcycle stuntman in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and the 2011 sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

The original "Ghost Rider" film told the origin story of Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman who makes a deal with the devil to save his father. The pact results in him becoming bonded with the supernatural Spirit of Vengeance, granting him the ability to transform into a skeletal, blazing biker with powers including super strength, fiery chains, and the Penance Stare.

Notably, Eva Mendes, Gosling's partner, starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the first "Ghost Rider" movie. Mendes and Gosling met on the set of "The Place Beyond the Pines" in 2011, the same year she did not appear in the "Ghost Rider" sequel.

IMAGE3 Mendes did not appear in the Ghost Rider sequel. Instead, she filmed The Place Beyond the Pines in 2011. It was on that set where she and Gosling met playing onscreen lovers and started dating

Plot details for Gosling's "Ghost Rider" film remain undisclosed, but its 2028 release date places it in a competitive landscape of upcoming Marvel projects.