Hector Hammond as portrayed in modern issues of Green Lantern.The Hollywood Reporter tonight broke the word that actor Peter Sarsgaard has been cast in Warner Brothers Films' adaptation of DC Comics' "Green Lantern" landing the role of Hector Hammond, the movie's first major villain who is best known to comic fans for his colossal cranium.

Sarsgaard, an actor who came onto the scene with a small part in 1995's "Dead Man Walking," has starred in several independent films over the years, though he may be recognizable to general audiences thanks to bigger films like "Jarhead" and the recent horror movie "Orphan."

Originally in the Green Lantern comics of the '60s by John Broome and Gil Kane, Hammond was a grossly exaggerated figure whose massive head granted him telepathic powers after coming into contact with a strange meteor. The villain was recently revived by writer Geoff Johns, particularly in the "Secret Origin" arc of "Green Lantern" where Hammond beings as a possible suitor Carol Ferris, the eventual girlfriend of hero and test pilot Hal Jordan.

Sarsgaard's casting makes the third actor to sign on for the project set to hit theaters June 17, 2011. Both Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are already on board to play Joran and Ferris respectively under the direction of Martin Campbell. However, casting lists indicate that the film will also feature the villain Sinestro when it finally bows in theaters.

Written by Greg Berlanti with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green with a rewrite by Michael Goldenberg, "Green Lantern" is set to begin filming this March in New Orleans.

Check back to CBR as more casting news for "Green Lantern" becomes available.