Marvel’s Ghost Rider Eyes Heated Rivalry Breakout Connor Storrie as the Villain Opposite Ryan Gosling

Marvel Studios’ “Ghost Rider” has its first real casting update since Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy unveiled the project on stage at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Heated Rivalry” breakout Connor Storrie is now in talks to join the film as the villain opposite Gosling. Variety, Empire, and Gizmodo have since corroborated the report, though Marvel Studios has not commented, as is standard practice for unannounced casting.

Who Is Connor Storrie?

Storrie first drew wide attention playing Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov opposite Hudson Williams in HBO Max’s “Heated Rivalry,” the hit romantic drama adapted from Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” book series, and he also had a small but pivotal role as the inmate who kills Arthur Fleck at the end of “Joker: Folie à Deux.” If the “Ghost Rider” deal closes, it would be only his second major film role, a sizable jump for an actor who was largely unknown outside the “Heated Rivalry” fandom a year ago.

Connor Storrie (left) as Ilya Rozanov alongside Hudson Williams in HBO Max’s “Heated Rivalry,” the role that first put him on Marvel’s radar.

A Mystery Villain, Not Mephisto

None of the reports have named which character Storrie would actually play, and Marvel Studios keeps those details locked down until a deal is finalized. The obvious guess for a “Ghost Rider” villain is Mephisto, but the demonic power broker already has a live-action MCU history through Sacha Baron Cohen’s cameo, which makes a repeat casting unlikely for a film built around a fresh take on the character. For now, the role stays officially unconfirmed on both ends.

Shawn Levy and a Starfighter Reunion

“Ghost Rider” reunites Gosling with Levy, who previously teamed with the actor on Disney and Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” due in May 2027, and who made his own MCU directing debut on “Deadpool & Wolverine”. Jonathan Tropper, who also wrote “Starfighter,” is penning the “Ghost Rider” script, while cinematographer Linus Sandgren, fresh off shooting “Dune: Part Three,” is attached to shoot on film once production begins in New York next year. Gosling and Levy are producing alongside Marvel’s Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, and Stephen Broussard, with Richie Palmer and Jessie Henderson serving as executive producers.

“Ghost Rider” is set for release on July 28, 2028, one stop on Marvel’s increasingly packed post-“Doomsday” slate, which you can track in full in our complete MCU watch order.

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Picture Source: Marvel Studios, HBO Max