Shawn Levy had his choice of a couple of very big movies for his next directing job, and according to a new report from Puck’s Matt Belloni, the Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker ultimately chose Marvel’s Ghost Rider over Days of Thunder 2, despite Tom Cruise and Paramount aggressively pursuing him for the latter.
The timing is particularly interesting because Levy has also just signed a new multiyear overall television deal with Disney’s 20th Television. The deal, which begins in 2027, will see Levy and his 21 Laps Entertainment company develop and produce series across Disney’s platforms and brands.
Levy has been working with Ryan Gosling on Star Wars: Starfighter, and the pair will now work together again on Ghost Rider. Gosling will star as the Spirit of Vengeance in the Marvel movie, which Levy is directing from a screenplay by Jonathan Tropper. Marvel has set Ghost Rider for release on July 28, 2028.
According to Belloni, Cruise and Paramount were both eager to bring Levy aboard Days of Thunder 2, but Levy elected to continue his collaboration with Gosling on Ghost Rider. Jonathan Levine (Long Shot) ultimately landed the Days of Thunder 2 directing job, with Cruise returning as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle and Anne Hathaway joining the cast. Paramount has scheduled the sequel for June 2, 2028.
Shawn Levy has some serious options
Levy has become one of Hollywood’s busiest directors, moving between big studio franchises and original projects. He directed Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Deadpool & Wolverine, while also serving as an executive producer and director on Stranger Things. His previous Marvel movie became a major hit, and now he has stepped into the Star Wars universe with Starfighter.
Ghost Rider will be Levy’s second Marvel movie following Deadpool & Wolverine, while Gosling will make his Marvel debut as the supernatural hero. Gosling reportedly pitched the Ghost Rider idea to Marvel boss Kevin Feige himself, with Feige saying at Comic-Con that Gosling’s vision helped get the project to the screen. Gosling was officially announced as Marvel’s new Ghost Rider at San Diego Comic-Con in July, with Levy confirmed as director.
Disney has now locked Levy into a major television partnership while also having him direct one of Marvel Studios’ upcoming theatrical movies. Disney says Levy has had a creative relationship with the company for two decades, dating back to his work with Disney Channel before he became a major feature filmmaker. Belloni reports that Netflix attempted to keep Levy and matched Disney’s offer, but Levy ultimately chose Disney. According to Puck, Disney executives had seen a cut of Star Wars: Starfighter earlier this year, with discussions about the television deal beginning afterward.
What happened to Days of Thunder 2?
Days of Thunder 2 is still moving forward without Levy. Cruise will reprise his role as Cole Trickle from Tony Scott’s 1990 original, while Hathaway will play a race team owner and engineer. Jonathan Levine is directing from a screenplay by Will Staples, with Cruise producing alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper. The sequel was officially announced in August, when Cruise shared a video from Daytona International Speedway with Hathaway and confirmed the film’s summer 2028 release.
Interestingly, Cruise had visited the set of Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, where he even participated in a lightsaber sequence. In light of Belloni’s report that Cruise and Paramount aggressively pursued Levy for Days of Thunder 2, that visit now has an interesting bit of extra context.
Are you more interested in seeing Shawn Levy’s Ghost Rider or Days of Thunder 2? Let us know in the comments.
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