Ryan Gosling Cast as Ghost Rider; David Jonsson to Lead Black Panther 3
After a two-year hiatus, Marvel Studios officially returned to San Diego Comic-Con today. While the scale of their Hall H presentation felt slightly smaller compared to previous years, Kevin Feige still delivered major bombshells for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Ryan Gosling and David Jonsson have been officially cast to lead upcoming flagship MCU projects, starring in Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3, respectively.
Ghost Rider
The Ghost Rider feature film is set for a 2028 release, with Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy helming the project. Golden Globe Best Actor winner Ryan Gosling (La La Land) has officially landed the iconic role of the Spirit of Vengeance.
Sony Pictures previously released a Ghost Rider feature and its sequel starring Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze in 2007 and 2011, though both met mixed critical and box office receptions. Later, Gabriel Luna portrayed the Robbie Reyes iteration of the character in ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. While Marvel Studios has not locked in an exact day yet, they currently hold reserved 2028 release slots on May 5, 2028 and July 28, 2028—with Ghost Rider expected to claim one and the highly anticipated X-Men reboot likely filling the other.
This marks a high-profile reunion for Levy and Marvel following 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, which grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide—becoming Marvel’s highest-grossing film since 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home and its only post-2021 release to break $1 billion. Levy and Gosling are also collaborating on another major Disney property, the upcoming Lucasfilm feature Star Wars: Starfighter, slated to hit North American theaters on May 28, 2027.
Black Panther 3
Black Panther 3 is officially locked in for a December 15, 2028 theatrical release, with visionary director Ryan Coogler returning to complete his trilogy. David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) will star as T'Challa II (also known as Toussaint), the son of the late King T'Challa (originally played by Chadwick Boseman).
Jonsson has rapidly emerged as one of Hollywood's most acclaimed rising stars following his standout performances in Alien: Romulus and Stephen King's The Long Walk. Alongside Jonsson, Letitia Wright is confirmed to reprise her role as Shuri, while Oscar winner Denzel Washington (Training Day) is reportedly set to join the ensemble in a key role.
The Black Panther franchise remains one of Marvel's most critically acclaimed and commercially successful properties, generating over $2 billion combined across its first two entries and securing four Academy Awards. The original 2018 film made history as the first superhero film nominated for Best Picture. Coogler's prestige standing only continues to grow; his 2025 vampire horror film Sinners made history at the Academy Awards with a record-shattering 16 nominations (including Best Picture and Best Director), ultimately winning him the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
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Photos: 20th Century Studios, Amazon MGM Studios
Source: Marvel