A new insider claim has revealed that the upcoming Ghost Rider movie might feature three unexpected new villains. The film, which will be part of Phase 7 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is surely going to surprise fans if this claim is true.
MCU insider James Mack reveals that the MCU might be taking an unexpected approach with the villains for Ghost Rider. The report stated that Mephisto, Lilith, and Blackout will allegedly be the new villains in the film. This could set the upcoming superhero action-adventure for a darker supernatural conflict.
The Marvel Studios film, written by Jonathan Tropper, will be directed by Shawn Levy and is set for its theatrical release on July 28, 2028. Per IMDb, the logline for the upcoming film reads, “Follows Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman who sold his soul and becomes a supernatural agent of vengeance.” The Deadpool & Wolverine director will also be producing the film alongside Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
Marvel had announced their new Ghost Rider film on July 25, 2026, during the Hall H Panel at the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con. At the same announcement, it was revealed that Ryan Gosling will play Johnny Blaze, aka the Spirit of Vengeance.
Ryan Gosling’s Ghost Rider pitch caught Shawn Levy’s attention
The idea of the new Ghost Rider film was originally pitched to the director by Ryan Gosling himself. In just six minutes, the 45-year-old Canadian star managed to convince Shawn Levy to direct the film while they were working together on a different project.
Reflecting on their conversation, the Canadian-American filmmaker told People, “Literally six minutes into him telling me about it, I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s go. We’re doing that.’ We walked it into Kevin Feige, and here we are.”
During the announcement at the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con, Ryan Gosling had also shared, per Marvel, “Wow, is this really happening? As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time.” The 58-year-old director added, “As Ryan started talking about his vision for this character, we started riffing. And I finally said, ‘Bro, let’s ride.’ So guys, we’ll see you in 2028.”
