If you had told me five years ago that the dude from Van Wilder would go on to become the type of actor that can play a superhero rather than the next Chevy Chase, I would’ve punched you in the face and called you a pansy geek. But it’s true. And it’s more than likely that he’s going to be a damn good superhero too. In fact, he seems to be using a great template as a starting point: the Robert Downey Jr. template.

Talking to MTV, Ryan Reynolds made clear that Green Lantern would not be as much of an origin story as we’re used to getting in the first film of a superhero franchise. "It is [an origin story] to a certain degree, but it's not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act," he said. "The movie starts when it starts. We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins."

Ryan further talked about his hope that the most interesting parts of the film will be the parts where he is out of his suit. "I think you walk away from this first film, and the moments that you remember and the moments that mean so much to you, not unlike 'Iron Man,' are the moments where the guy's not in the suit."

If that’s the kind of focus we’ll get in Green Lantern, I’m certain the movie will be a success, as anything that depends on the charisma and personality of Ryan Reynolds is sure to be a hit. I’m hoping that the movie will be the kind of winner that Iron Man was, the kind that allows an otherwise obscure comic book hero to become a multi-million dollar franchise. If not, Reynolds can always go back to being funny.