We told you to check back regularly for this news to drop, and now it's dropping!

Variety is reporting that actor Ryan Reynolds has been cast as The Green Lantern in Warner Bros.' upcoming live-action adaption of the DC comics superhero. This announcement comes on the heels of earlier news that DC/Warner Bros. had narrowed the long search for their Green Lantern down to three finalists.

Reynolds has been a fast-rising star: his performance as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in this Summer's Wolverine led Fox to create a spinoff film for the character. His most recent flick, the rom-com The Proposal with Sandra Bullock just passed $100 million and the actor has another film on the way, a psychological thriller called Buried, which is already generating mild buzz.

For all these reasons - and the fact that Reynolds has proven (keyword) he's a pretty good leading man with a variety of range - he obviously deserves the role, and, in my early uninformed opinion, will handle it well. Congrats to him.

The Green Lantern casting has been a long, semi-entertaining drama but I'm glad I can now say that the film will be directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), with a script by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim and will star Ryan Reynolds in the titular role of Green Lantern/Hal Jordan!

Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Lantern battery
I am Ryan Reynolds.

Phew. Over and done with. Now all I gotta do is let you know every time  they add another cast member, shoot a scene, shoot a photo of a scene, cut a trailer, premiere a trailer...yadda, yadda, yadda. At least this part got figured out.

The Green Lantern is slated for release on June 17, 2011. Filming is set to start this Fall.

Here's an early "look" at Reynolds in a GL costume, courtesy of Screen Rant writer Mike Wilkerson:

Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern

Source: Variety