Exclusive: Stranger Things Creators In Talks For Ghost Rider
According to word from our trusted and proven sources, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are being courted for Ghost Rider.
Stranger Things is beginning to come to an end. The record-breaking premiere of season four has apparently already put things in motion that will draw the Hawkins, Indiana narrative to a close, which begs the question: what will the Duffer Brothers do next? According to our trusted and proven sources, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige is in talks with Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer to lead a Ghost Rider project. While there is not yet a concrete confirmation, this does seem like a step forward to introducing the Spirit of Vengeance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper. Sorry, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The first question that arises as it comes to bringing the Stranger Things creators to the MCU is whether a Ghost Rider project would be a film or a series. In the past, the sure money would have been on either a standalone film or an appearance in some other character’s movie, like how Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was introduced as a side character in Captain America: Civil War. However, the rising popularity of Disney+ has led to more and more new characters being brought into the MCU via a series.
Marvel Studios has recently been on a trend of bringing in slightly lesser-known characters like She-Hulk (to be played by Tatiana Maslany) and Moon Knight (played by Oscar Isaac) via Disney+. Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are already pretty well-acquainted with the rhythms of streaming series, so it feels likely that is how Ghost rider would be approached. While the character is an iconic Marvel Comics antihero, Ghost Rider has a very convoluted backstory (especially for a guy that was conceived of basically as Evel Knieval with a flaming skull) and could probably use a few hour-long episodes to get the whole stunt performer-cosmic force of vengeance-deal with the devil-but also good-thing across.
On the other hand, it could be possible that the Stranger Things guys could see Ghost Rider as their stepping stone to feature films. As of 2022, the Duffer Brothers have only one directorial feature film credit (2015’s Hidden); while they might be extraordinarily successful in the streaming television game, it bears the question if they want to make the leap to features. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently the launching pad for literally the biggest films in history, so it could potentially be a huge step for the minds behind Stranger Things (not to mention Ghost Rider himself).
This is a transitionary time for both Netflix and Marvel Studios, as they try to figure out how they can get to the top of the stream platform hill. It is not surprising that Marvel would try to get some of that Stranger Things magic over to their side and Ghost Rider would be an ideal character for the Duffer Brothers. We have been getting word that Disney (as the parent company of both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm) has been getting increasingly interested in increasing their horror vibe, so Stranger Things and Ghost Rider could very well be a match made in heaven. Or hell, as it were.
