The always-excellent Jeff Bridges has officially signed on to star in the movie adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book R.I.P.D.

Peter Lenkov’s series chronicles the adventures of Nick Cruz, a cop killed in the line of duty who strikes a deal with ‘The Man Upstairs’ to return to Earth and uncover the identity of his killer. The catch? He must join the ‘Rest In Peace Department’, a team of law enforcers staffed by similarly resurrected cops.

Ryan Reynolds has been provisionally cast as Cruz, but has yet to commit (he’s still mulling the solo DEADPOOL outing), while ‘The Dude’ will play the role of Roy, Cruz’s R.I.P.D. partner.

Robert Schwentke (RED) is attached to direct from a screenplay by CLASH OF THE TITANS screenwriter Phil Hay. …It was all going so well until that last name.

R.I.P.D. will be released sometime in 2012. We’ll keep you updated on all further developments.

Anybody read R.I.P.D.? As cool as it sounds? Let us know with your comments below!