Eva Mendes celebrated Ryan Gosling’s newly announced Ghost Rider role by connecting it to two movies that already hold an important place in their shared history.
After Marvel Studios revealed Gosling as the star of a standalone Ghost Rider film, Mendes reposted a fan edit built around the opening of The Place Beyond the Pines. The footage shows Gosling’s tattooed motorcycle stunt rider, Luke Glanton, walking through a carnival before climbing onto his bike.
The editor placed Marvel’s new Ghost Rider logo over the sequence and argued that the scene alone demonstrated why Gosling was suited to the role. Mendes added her own brief endorsement: “Love, Roxy.”
Roxy refers to Roxanne Simpson, the reporter Mendes played opposite Nicolas Cage’s Johnny Blaze in the 2007 Ghost Rider movie.
Mendes Signed Her Message ‘Love, Roxy’
View this post on Instagram
Mendes shared the edit on July 26, one day after Gosling appeared during Marvel Studios’ Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con. The fan-made video used the extended opening shot from The Place Beyond the Pines, following Gosling’s character as he moves through the carnival grounds and prepares to perform inside a motorcycle cage.
“From this intro only I thought Ryan Gosling can be a perfect casting for Ghost Rider role,” the editor wrote over the footage.
‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ Created Another Connection
Mendes later shared another fan montage through her Instagram Stories featuring scenes of her and Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines. She described the footage as “Ghost Rider in a parallel universe” and thanked its creator for highlighting what she called a “beautiful parallel universe connection.”
The crime drama cast Gosling as Luke, a motorcycle stunt performer who turns to bank robbery, and Mendes as Romina, the mother of his young son. Mendes and Gosling met while making the film and began a relationship after working together.
Gosling has since said that portraying a family with Mendes helped him recognize the life he wanted outside acting. The couple now shares two daughters, Esmeralda and Amada, while continuing to keep most details of their family life private.
Gosling Said He Had Wanted the Marvel Role for Years
View this post on Instagram
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige introduced Gosling during the studio’s Comic-Con presentation on July 25. “Is this really happening?” Gosling asked as he walked onto the Hall H stage.
“This is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time,” he told the audience. Gosling also thanked interviewer Josh Horowitz, whose earlier questions about a possible Marvel role helped turn the actor’s interest in Ghost Rider into a widely discussed casting possibility.
Shawn Levy will direct the movie after working with Gosling on Lucasfilm’s upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter. Levy said they began discussing what their version of Ghost Rider could be while making that film.
Marvel has announced a theatrical release in 2028 but has not assigned an exact date. The studio also has not confirmed which incarnation of Ghost Rider Gosling will play, although Johnny Blaze remains the character most closely associated with the title.