Marvel Studios have held the rights to Ghost Rider since 2013, but for a long time it seemed as though they had little interest in rebooting the character as part of their cinematic universe. The Robbie Reyes version appeared in the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with star Gabriel Luna initially set to reprise his role in a spinoff show on Hulu, but the plug was pulled on that last year.
However, the rumor mill surrounding the flame-skulled motorcycle enthusiast has gone into overdrive in the last month following the news that Keanu Reeves was reportedly in talks to play the character in his long-awaited MCU debut. Kevin Feige has admitted that they speak to the actor for just about every movie that they make, and Reeves’ screen persona and skill-set make him an ideal candidate to saddle up as Ghost Rider.
Almost as soon as it hit the internet, fans were already launching campaigns in his support and creating art to imagine the actor in the role, and now it seems like they’ll be disappointed if anybody else ends up playing the part. One thing that wasn’t clear at the time though was which version of Ghost Rider would be joining the MCU, given that several names have held the title in comic book history, but we’ve now heard that both Johnny Blaze and also Cosmic Ghost Rider will be introduced into the franchise eventually.
What’s more is that it’s said the next standalone movie for the character will revolve around the Blaze version, with Marvel reportedly now planning a solo film for Ghost Rider at some point in Phase 5 or 6. At least, that’s according to sources close to WGTC, the same ones who told us that Disney are developing live-action remakes of Robin Hood and Bambi and a Justice League Dark show is coming to HBO Max, all of which were later confirmed. As for Cosmic, it’s unclear where he’ll show up, but the solo movie will apparently feature the Blaze iteration.
Of course, we’ve already seen Johnny Blaze on the big screen before being played by another one of the internet’s favorite actors in Nicolas Cage. But nearly a decade has passed since we last saw him in sequel Spirit of Vengeance, meaning the road is clear for the next actor who inherits the role, whether it be Keanu Reeves or not, to put their own unique stamp on Ghost Rider.
