Scott M. Gimple, co-writer of 2012’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, has offered some advice for Ryan Gosling’s upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot. The 55-year-old screenwriter recently reflected on his experience scripting Nicolas Cage’s final outing as Johnny Blaze during a recent interview.
Speaking with The Direct, Gimple was asked what the new film might accomplish that his film couldn’t during his time. He explained that movies give directors a different level of creative control than television. “I’ll say this: TV is a writer’s medium. A showrunner is really driving the vision of a show. Films are directors. Directors are kind of the showrunners of film,” Gimple explained.
He added that the directing duo of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor “took the ball and ran with it” and brought their own vision to the 2012 sequel. “They took what we did and they ran with it and made it their own,” he shared. The New Jersey-born writer called their style “wild and crazy,” which blew him away, and added that screenwriting is simply a “different beast” from directing.
Gimple’s comments suggest that this reboot could benefit from a strong directorial identity.
What else do we know about the Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider reboot?
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige officially announced the Ghost Rider reboot at SDCC 2026 during the studio’s Hall H presentation. Feige shared Ryan Gosling was confirmed for casting in the film. Gosling will bring the blazing skull anti-hero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Nicolas Cage played Johnny Blaze in the previous two films.
Shawn Levy is set to direct the new Ghost Rider film, marking his MCU return after Deadpool & Wolverine. Levy is also currently working with Gosling in Star Wars: Starfighter, which is set to release next year. Jonathan Tropper, who is also writing the upcoming Star Wars movie, is attached to write the Ghost Rider screenplay.
Ryan Gosling’s Ghost Rider will arrive in theaters on June 28, 2028.
