Hans back with news about the lead in Green Lantern. The rumor mill just keeps grinding away on this one.

Now Bradley Cooper, the young up-and-comer who has shown both comedy chops (Wedding Crashers, Failure to Launch) and badass horror movie chops (Midnight Meat Train, see it now) has his name in the fold as a possibility for the role of Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.

According to Hitflix, Cooper is well beyond the discussion/speculation phase and is very much a frontrunner for the role. The film will be directed by Martin Campbell of Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro, and, the real crown jewel of the filmography, Vertical Limit fame and is set to begin shooting later this year in Sidney, Australia.

Pardon me for being a little bit dubious about this whole thing. It seems like every up-and-comer in Hollywood has been attached to this role; Ryan Gosling, Anton Yelchin, and Chris Pine have all been mentioned at this point. I think Bradley Cooper would be a great choice, but something tells me we might be a ways off from an actual decision. But, you never know….

Also, the film’s release date has been changed from a December 2010 opening to a June 2011 opening.