Ryan Gosling Is Ghost Rider, But His Wife Got In There First
Ryan Gosling's Ghost Rider casting comes years after his wife, Eva Mendes, made her own mark on the franchise.
San Diego Comic-Con is one of the greatest times of the year for film fans as studios flock to the event to promote their latest projects. Ever since Iron Man, Marvel Studios have had a close relationship with the event, often taking over the hallowed Hall H to tease and delight attendees with exclusive content, casting news, and to launch new movies. This year’s SDCC was no exception, with Marvel announcing the new Black Panther - David Jonsson - and a new addition to the MCU: Ghost Rider.
During Marvel Studios’ panel, Kevin Feige shared that a new Ghost Rider movie was in production, before revealing that Ryan Gosling will star in the title role. Gosling has long spoken about a desire to play the character, and whilst his dream of being in a Ghost Rider movie is now coming true, his wife, Eva Mendes, beat him to it.
Who Did Eva Mendes Play In Ghost Rider?
In 2007, just a year before Iron Man arrived to revolutionise superhero movies, Eva Mendes starred in the first Ghost Rider movie. She played Roxanne Simpson, a news reporter who has a history with Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider. Former childhood friends, the pair reconnect, and Roxanne becomes the film's love interest.
Unlike other superheroes, Blaze does not hide the truth of his identity, and Roxanne is immediately privy to his alter ego. This, of course, places her in harm's way as she gets mixed up with Mephistopheles’ son, Blackheart, who uses her as leverage against Johnny Blaze. Roxanne is no damsel, though, and helps save Ghost Rider from his enemies, but afterwards, despite the pair clearly being in love, they decide to part ways.
Could Eve Mendes Return For the New Film?
Although Ghost Rider was critically panned, Mendes is great in the role of Roxanne. The character feels a lot like Marvel’s answer to DC's Lois Lane: she's intrepid, tenacious, and unafraid to get her hands dirty. It’s a shame that she didn’t return for the sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, but could Mendes return alongside her husband in the new Ghost Rider outing?
It wouldn’t be the first time the couple have starred together, having previously met while working on The Place Beyond the Pines. The character of Roxanne also has a deeper lore in the comic book source, as she was turned into villainess Black Rose. This means that there is plenty more scope for the character, and having Mendes return would be a great way to retroactively bring those first two Ghost Rider movies fully into the MCU.
As great as it would be to see Gosling and Mendes on screen together again, it seems unlikely to happen as Mendes stepped back from the spotlight to focus on raising her family. Her last credit was in 2014 when she starred in Gosling’s directorial effort, Lost River, and if we’re honest, when it comes to an Eva Mendes character return, we’re still awaiting Monica Fuentes rejoining the Fast family. The character was last teased in the post-credits sequence of Fast Five in which Fuentes revealed to Hobbs that Letty was still alive.
Who is Ghost Rider, And What’s His Story?
During his comic book run, antihero Ghost Rider has had numerous identities. The primary version is that of Johnny Blaze, played by Nicolas Cage in the 2007 version and its sequel, but others include Danny Ketch and Robbie Reyes (the latter of whom is already in the MCU, via Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.). Each of them has a slightly different origin story, but Blaze’s is the one most likely to be revisited in the new movie.
Blaze is a stunt motorcyclist who agrees to trade his soul to the demon Mephisto in exchange for the life of his foster father. A side effect of the contract is that at night, and when in proximity to evil, Johnny’s head becomes a flaming skull, and he is imbued with supernatural powers that he chooses to try to rid the world of evil with.
When Can We See Ghost Rider?
During the SDCC panel, in addition to Ryan Gosling’s casting, a 2028 release date was revealed.
Gosling took to the stage to introduce Shawn Levy as the director of the forthcoming film. Levy and Gosling are currently working together on Star Wars: Starfighter, and it’s obviously going well if they’re reuniting for Ghost Rider. Levy is also no stranger to Marvel, having directed Deadpool & Wolverine.
