'Green Lantern' cast gets green light

In this era of superhero movies, the cast for the principal actors in D.C. Comics' Green Lantern are in place. Ryan Reynolds ( The Proposal) plays the lead with Gossip Girl's Blake Lively as his female interest.

Peter Sarsgaard, hot off An Education, is negotiating with Warner Bros. about the role of psychic villain Sinestro/Dr. Hector Hammond.

The director is New Zealand's Martin Campbell, who directed The Mark of Zorro, Casino Royale and the upcoming Mel Gibson suspense feature Edge of Darkness.

The comic book story follows a test pilot of a downed spacecraft who receives a mystical ring with superpowers from an alien which introduces him to the intergalactic police force, the Green Lanterns, who keep peace in the universe.

It is scheduled to begin production this year for release in theaters June 2011.

RC