ACTOR Eva Mendes celebrated partner Ryan Gosling's casting as Marvel's Ghost Rider with a heartfelt social media tribute that also paid homage to the film where their love story began, according to E! News. Following the announcement at San Diego Comic-Con that Gosling will portray Ghost Rider in an upcoming standalone Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, Mendes took to Instagram to express her excitement nostalgically. The actress reshared a fan-edited clip from the opening sequence of the 2012 crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines, the film where she and Gosling first met. The video features Gosling's character, motorcycle stunt rider Luke Glanton, walking through a carnival before mounting his motorcycle, with the newly unveiled Ghost Rider logo edited into the footage. The fan edit read, "from this intro only Ithought Ryan Gosling can be a perfect casting for ghost rider role.

 

" Sharing the clip, Mendes simply captioned it, "Love, Roxy." The caption appeared to reference Roxanne Simpson, the character Mendes portrayed opposite Nicolas Cage in the 2007 film Ghost Rider, making her reaction a playful nod to both her past connection with the superhero franchise and Gosling's new chapter as the iconic Marvel anti-hero, according to E! News. Mendes, who shares two daughters, Esmeralda, 11, and Amada, 10, with Gosling, later reposted another fanmade montage featuring scenes of the couple from The Place Beyond the Pines. The edit described Gosling as "Ghost Rider in a parallel universe." Thanking the creator, Mendes wrote that it highlighted "this beautiful parallel universe connection." Gosling's casting was officially unveiled during Marvel Studios' Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. The actor, who has long been a fan-favourite choice to play Ghost Rider, expressed his gratitude during the event.