Ryan Reynolds to play Green Lantern

According to the BBC and Hollywood industry magazine, Variety, Ryan Reynolds has been cast as the Green Lantern in a new comic book adaptation. Reynolds, 32, recently played the character Deadpool opposite Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. A spinoff movie for Reynold's Deadpool character is also in development. If the new deal goes ahead, it would make Reynolds the only male actor to have played heroes for comic rivals Marvel and DC. Bradley Cooper, who stars in The Hangover, and music star Justin Timberlake also did a screen test for the role of the superhero who is armed with a magical ring. The film is being directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed 2006's Casino Royale. For those who are not familiar with the comic book, the Green Lantern is the name of a series of characters who wield a magic ring that gives incredible powers as long as they have the willpower and strength to use it. The stories were first published back in 1940 by one of the companies that would become DC Comics.