Ryan Gosling has put the kibosh on rumors that he will be portraying Richard Rider/Nova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Mind you, that's not to say the actor isn't interested in joining the comic book-based film franchise. However, he'd like to play a Marvel character that's less cosmic and more supernatural.
Josh Horowitz of MTV News has shared a snippet from his forthcoming interview with Gosling. During their chat, the actor stated that rumors of his involvement in a Nova project are not true. After the main interview, Gosling reached out to Horowitz, revealing that the superhero he really wants to play is Ghost Rider.
Of course, should Gosling actually get the chance to play Ghost Rider at some point in the future, he would certainly not be the first person to portray the Spirit of Vengeance in live-action. Nicolas Cage played Johnny Blaze, perhaps the most famous incarnation of Ghost Rider, in Sony Pictures' 2007 film Ghost Rider. Cage subsequently reprised his role in the 2011 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Following the release of Sony's second Ghost Rider film, the on-screen rights to the title character reverted to Marvel Studios.
What Does the Future Hold for the MCU?
Gabriel Luna then portrayed the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider in the fourth season of ABC's MCU-adjacted series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which ran from September 2016 to May 2017. Luna was once slated to reprise his role as Robbie in a solo Ghost Rider series on Hulu, though the planned spinoff ultimately fell through. Since then, fans have wondered if and when the Spirit of Vengeance would be re-introduced to the MCU.
While Ghost Rider's on-screen future is still up in the air, Nova seems to have a clear path to the MCU. After years of rumors and speculation, it was confirmed earlier this year that Marvel Studios was developing a Nova project focusing on the Richard Rider incarnation of the character. Moon Knight scribe Sabir Pirzada attached to write Nova, though it's still unclear if the project will be a film or a Disney+ series. While Nova himself has yet to appear in the MCU, the Nova Corps was introduced to Marvel Studios' shared universe in the 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy.
Source: Twitter