Ryan Gosling reportedly in talks with Marvel Studios to play Nova

MCU fans may see Ryan Gosling in the role of Nova in the upcoming franchise projects, scooper Daniel RPK reported. The Barbie star had been in the news for quite some time as rumors and whispers about his meeting with Kevin Feige spread through the tinsel world in December 2023. While media houses reported the actor’s meeting with the franchise head, fans started speculating about the roles the actor may fit into.

Fresh out of the success of the smashing hit movie Barbie, this is an exciting period for Ryan Gosling to collaborate with another billion-dollar franchise. The actor was previously reported to have hardly any knowledge about Nova, aka Richard Rider. With many characters like Ghost Rider and Kang the Conqueror open to being taken up, fans debated what the La La Land star would portray in the MCU.

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MCU may have roped in Ryan Gosling to play Nova

The long-time industry insider going by the name Daniel RPK, whose previous leaks have mostly been proved true, has claimed the actor is slated to play the Marvel character of Richard Rider. While the same channel had disclosed the actor’s talks with the franchise a month ago, the role was not finalized. This led to fan rumors and speculations about the right Marvel character for Ryan Gosling.

As Jonathan Majors exited the franchise after his legal issue, the role of Kang the Conqueror is open for taking up. Besides Kang, Ghost Rider and Doctor Doom were two other characters under speculation where fans felt Ryan Gosling could fit in.

However, there was official confirmation in March 2022 about plans to bring Nova to screen. While the Blade Runner actor was set to join the MCU in a Fantastic Four movie, fans put two and two together, hoping to see the actor as Nova. As such, the latest leak about Ryan Gosling slated to play Richard Rider or Nova looks confirmed.

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Who is Marvel’s Nova?

Nova is a space warrior like the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy (Image via Marvel)

Marvel Comics released Richard Rider’s Nova in a September 1976 comic book titled The Man Called Nova. The character’s origin is slightly hazy as he was first introduced in comics as Star, an alien doctor, in 1966 Super Adventures issue #3. Then, in issue #6, he was re-imagined as a prisoner who became the superhero Black Nova.

A teenage version of Nova in the 1970s, Sam Alexander, was also featured in some of the Fantastic Four comics. After being obscure for over a decade, the character reappeared in 1989’s The Mighty Thor issue #411 as a New Warriors’ team member.

After continuing with many books under the titular name for about 15 years, Nova became the leading role in the Annihilation miniseries. While Nova is connected to the Secret Invasions, the Secret Avengers, and the Guardians of the Galaxy, the character has been awaiting a screen presence for quite some time.

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MCU’s Nova plans

MCU plans to rope in Ryan for the role of Nova (Image via Universal Pictures and Marvel)

While there is no confirmation from the official channels about Ryan Gosling playing Nova, it is already known that Disney+ is ready to come out with many character-driven stories under their new banner, Marvel Spotlight.

The first project under the banner, Echo, has already been released. Other potential projects include the characters of Nova, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Sentry, Punisher, Ten Rings, Marvel Zombies, and many more. The Nova project is expected to be a live-action Disney+ series.

While Ryan Gosling had previously turned down many superhero roles, he expressed his desire to do some in an MTV 2022 interview. At the time, he felt he wasn’t right for the roles he was offered. If the latest leak is true, the actor is finally convinced he fits Nova’s character well.

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