She-Hulk Writer, Director & Star Clear Up Ghost Rider Speculation

So for those of you who need a refresher, there was a ton of speculation going on around the end of July (for example) that a behind-the-scenes featurette posted by ET for Disney+’s Tatiana Maslany-starring She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was foreshadowing the formal introduction of Ghost Rider into the MCU. In the clip (which you can check out here), Benedict Wong‘s Sorcerer Supreme Wong is doing some impressive “magic lasso” work in what appears to be a dinner theater. In the scene, at the bottom left of the stage, we see a framed poster with what appears to be the name “Johnny Blaze.” Well, it turns out that isn’t what it read, and we have the red carpet premiere of the streaming series to thank for the clarification.

In fact, the name is “Donny Blaze,” played by actor Rhys Coiro, who had this to share with Deadline Hollywood about his character: “He’s a very powerful and fantastic individual, and he’s amazing and wonderful in every way, and he just lives to amaze and entertain.” Series director & EP Kat Coiro (Rhys’ wife) added that Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige was the only one who could answer questions like that. But head writer & EP Jessica Gao looked to clear up any confusion on the matter, stating, “He’s not Ghost Rider — his name is Donny Blaze… a magician named Donny Blaze.” Gao added that Donny “is just a magician who picked a stage name that he thought was going to get a lot of attention” and that he is a “big character in his episode, but he is not Ghost Rider.” Here’s a look at the videos of both sets of interviews from Monday night’s premiere:

And just in case you need a reminder about the two official trailers that were previously released (along with a series overview)… with Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premiering on August 18th:

“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” follows Jennifer Walters as she navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.

Joining Maslany in the Marvel Studios & Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is Jameela Jamil as Titania, a Marvel supervillain with incredible strength and a frequent rival of Jennifer’s, Ginger Gonzaga (Kidding) as Walters’ best friend, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Josh Segarra, Jon Bass, Anais Almonte, Nicholas Cirillo, and Griffin Matthews. In addition, Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Bruce Banner/Smart Hulk, Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs) returns as Emil Blonsky, aka The Abomination, and Benedict Wong returns as Wong. Emmy award-winner Jessica Gao (Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty) leads the writers’ room & executive produces, with Kat Coiro executive producing and directing the pilot & additional episodes (E02-E04; E08; E09) of the legal comedy along with Anu Valia (E05-E07). Coiro, Gao, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, and Brad Winderbaum executive produce, with Wendy Jacobson & Jennifer Booth co-executive producing.