Ryan Gosling will play Ghost Rider in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new standalone movie.

In a move that has been long lobbied by Marvel Cinematic Universe fans - as well as endorsed by Gosling himself in interviews - and even projected by Rolling Stone in 2013, MCU honcho Kevin Feige finally made the casting dream a reality by officially announcing Gosling as the skeleton motorcycle hero; Suicide’s punk classic "Ghost Rider" played as Gosling appeared on stage.

"Wow. Is this really happening?" Gosling asked onstage after the reveal. "As you know, this is a character I've wanted to play for a long time."

This casting decision comes years after many fans on the internet championed for the Barbie actor to play the Johnny Blaze version of the character.

While Ghost Rider is Gosling’s first superhero movie, he’s no stranger to cinematic action. That portion of his resume includes The Nice Guys, Blade Runner 2049, The Gray Man, and The Fall Guy. The actor was most recently seen in the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary, which opened in theaters at the end of March.

Source: Press Release