It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to grow in an unprecedented way. Phase 3 will see a ton of new characters enter the silver screen portion of the MCU, but some of the best and most fascinating additions are coming to the small screen sector. In fact, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has taken a huge step forward and signed on True Detective actor Gabriel Luna as the first ever live-action version of the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider. Check him out, below.
It appears that the rumors are true: Ghost Rider will soon debut on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Marvel has found the actor to step into those leather boots and don the flaming skull. Actor Gabriel Luna will take on the role of Robbie Reyes, as part of the series opting to use the lesser-known version of the character -- as opposed to the decidedly more popular and iconic Johnny Blaze. For comparison, Blaze has been in publication since 1972, while Reyes premiered in the comics only two years ago.
Although Gabriel Luna doesn't have too many credits to his name; the 33-year-old actor has had fairly prominent roles in films like Freeheld and Bernie, as well as his aforementioned role in the second season of True Detective. Much like the Robbie Reyes version of the character, audiences don't have too many expectations for this young, up and coming actor, and as such there exist innumerable directions for him to take the role. That's seemingly part of the appeal for Luna.
With that in mind, Gabriel Luna seems to have endeavored to do the research and make the part his own. He has reportedly consumed any and all information regarding the Robbie Reyes character, and he recently told THR that part of his excitement stems from the opportunity to do something new with the young, relatively unexplored anti-hero. He elaborated:
Because there is so little material on him right now, a lot of the show is going to be expanding the Ghost Rider canon... That's really cool. It's all me. It's all on me."
If nothing else, we know we're getting a wholly original take on the Ghost Rider mythos. This isn't the first time that the character of Ghost Rider has received a live-action adaptation. Nicolas Cage infamously took on the role of Johnny Blaze twice in 2007's Ghost Rider, as well as the 2012 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The original Ghost Rider film is actually not as bad as it gets credit for being, but most fans would agree that the iconic and demonic Marvel hero deserves far better than his silver screen outings would indicate. After all, the things most people remember about the Cage films are the CGI abs and the obvious hairpiece. Hollywood can do better than that.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information concerning the debut of Ghost Rider on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D as more information becomes available to us. The ABC series will return on Tuesday, September 20 at 10 p.m. PST/EST; make sure to check our fall TV premiere schedule and mark your calendars!
