There's a huge amount of excitement among Marvel fans to see Ghost Rider return to our screens in a new movie, but it sounds like the Spirit of Vengeance might race back to television instead.
According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, the current plan is for Ghost Rider to be a Disney+ TV series. We can't imagine a show like that would be cheap to produce given the special effects involved but it might still be a safer bet than another feature.
From there, it's easy to imagine the anti-hero being part of the long-rumoured Midnight Sons movie. This latest rumour comes not too long after the leaker claimed that an Agents of Atlas show is also in the works for Disney+.
Marvel Studios has been sitting on the rights to the Ghost Rider character for years and allowed Marvel Television to use the Robbie Reyes version in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a brief spell. There was talk of a spin-off TV series, only for that to come to nought when Kevin Feige took full control of Marvel's output and the Jeph Loeb-led production company was made defunct by Disney.
Rumours have since persisted that Johnny is being lined up to make his MCU debut, with recent chatter pointing to a role alongside Mephisto in Spider-Man 4. Nicolas Cage is also said to be a lock for the next Avengers movies after missing out on a return in Deadpool & Wolverine last summer.
The Ghost Rider "mantle" has been held by several characters, though Johnny Blaze remains the most iconic. Debuting in 1972, he's a stunt motorcyclist who, through a deal with the devil, transforms into the Ghost Rider when in the presence of evil.
As we're sure you're aware, his head then becomes a flaming skull and he wields a chain imbued with mystical powers, punishing the wicked and riding a flaming motorcycle. The character borrows heavily from the supernatural horror and superhero genres, with Danny Ketch and Robbie Reyes among those to later inherit the curse from Johnny.
Talking about the launch of Agatha All Along last year, Marvel Television boss and Marvel Studios' Head of Marvel Streaming, Television and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, was asked which one character he'd like to bring to TV.
"I would wanna do the Danny Ketch era of Ghost Rider," he confirmed. "I think there are a lot of people who would be here for some Ghost Rider."
Promoting The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling was asked by MTV's Josh Horowitz about getting the seal of approval from Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to play the MCU's Ghost Rider if he's interested. "This was a magical moment. I told Josh I would like to play Ghost Rider. He found Kevin Feige, corners him, does an interview with him. When he says, 'I would like this,' all the lights go off."
As for whether there's been any real movement on that front, a cagey Gosling responded, "I don't know." When his co-star Emily Blunt interjected and said she didn't expect him to sign up for a superhero project, the Academy Award nominee told her, "I would love to, it would be amazing. Come be in Ghost Rider."
Stay tuned for more Ghost Rider updates as we have them.