The flaming skull is officially on the Marvel calendar. Disney has confirmed that Ghost Rider, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy, will release in theaters on July 28, 2028. The date was added to Disney’s official release calendar this week, placing the film between the untitled X-Men film arriving on May 5, 2028, and Black Panther 3, which is scheduled for December of the same year.
The announcement was first made at Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige introduced Ryan Gosling to the crowd. Gosling told the audience, “Wow, is this really happening? As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time.” He then introduced Shawn Levy to the stage.
Gosling and Levy reportedly began discussing ideas for Ghost Rider while working together on Star Wars: Starfighter. As Gosling developed his vision for the character, the two began discussing the project, with Levy eventually telling him, “Bro, let’s ride.”
The reveal was also accompanied by a planned bit of theatre. In the weeks leading up to Comic-Con, journalist Josh Horowitz had repeatedly asked Feige why Gosling had not yet been cast as Ghost Rider during the Spider-Man: Brand New Day press junket. During the Hall H panel, Horowitz was placed in the crowd and asked the question one final time, prompting Feige to bring Gosling onto the stage.
The screenplay is being written by Jonathan Tropper, creator of Lucky and Your Friends and Neighbors. Tropper also wrote Star Wars: Starfighter and co-wrote Levy’s The Adam Project. For now, the film is listed on Disney’s release calendar as Untitled Ghost Rider, while plot details remain under wraps.
Ghost Rider, whose real name is Johnny Blaze, is one of Marvel’s most visually distinctive and emotionally complex characters. A stunt motorcycle driver who makes a deal with a demonic entity and becomes a flaming-skulled spirit of vengeance, the character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight No. 5 in 1972.
The upcoming film is described as a reboot of the Ghost Rider film series and will mark the character’s first proper entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Marvel Studios’ creative control. Nicolas Cage previously played Johnny Blaze in Sony’s Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011). Gabriel Luna later portrayed a different version of the character, Robbie Reyes, in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series.
Gosling and Levy are currently working together on Star Wars: Starfighter, which is scheduled for release on May 28, 2027. Ghost Rider will mark their second collaboration in consecutive years. Production on Ghost Rider is planned for 2027, allowing Levy to potentially move directly from Starfighter into the Marvel project.
Levy previously directed Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel, which became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time and further established his ability to handle major franchise productions.
Ghost Rider now joins a packed Marvel calendar for 2028. The untitled X-Men film is scheduled for May 5, followed by Ghost Rider on July 28, with Black Panther 3 set to close out the year in December. The lineup would give Marvel three major theatrical releases in a single calendar year, spanning different corners of the MCU.
Ghost Rider is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 28, 2028.
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