Ritchie Locked for Lobo

Warner Bros. has locked Guy Ritchie to direct “Lobo,” the live action adaptation of the DC Comics drama about an alien interstellar bounty hunter.

Don Payne wrote the most recent script draft, and Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman and Andrew Rona will produce. Pic is a co-production between Silver Pictures and Weed Road.

Ritchie will make the film his follow-up to “Sherlock Holmes,” the Silver-produced film that stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, which Warner Bros. opens Christmas Day.

Production on “Lobo” begins early next year. The character originated in 1983 in “Omega Men,” written by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen. Lobo has had several comic incarnations. In the film, he is a seven-foot tall, blue-skinned, indestructible and heavily muscled anti-hero who drives a pimped out motorcycle, and lands on Earth in search of four fugitives who are bent on wreaking havoc. Lobo teams with a small town teenaged girl to stop the creatures.

WB is aiming for a PG-13 rating. Pic will be strong on visual effects, and Ritchie will bring the irreverent, gruff tone of past films like "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

Steve Richards and Kerry Foster will be executive producers.

With all the attention on Disney’s Marvel deal, the Ritchie deals gives WB yet another production start through its DC Comics banner. Silver and Goldsman are producers on “The Losers,” while Goldsman is a producer on “Jonah Hex.” WB recently set Ryan Reynolds to play the title character in the Martin Campbell-directed “Green Lantern.” DC Comics is a WB-owned entity, and Gregory Noveck steers the film adaptations for DC.

Ritchie is repped by CAA.