Marvel developing a Black Panther movie for 2014?

We've known for a while now that Marvel Studios will embark on 'Phase Two' of their ambitious film series with the solo sequels Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 (both arriving next year), with Captain America 2 following alongside an as-yet-unrevealed movie in 2014. Speculation as to the identity of this fourth mystery movie has included the likes of Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy, but according to a report from Latino Review, the film will take us to the African kingdom of Wakanda as The Black Panther arrives in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and making his debut in the pages of Fantastic Four as the first black superhero, The Black Panther - a.k.a. T'Challa - is the chief of Wakanda (a technologically-advanced African nation rich with the precious metal Vibranium) who possesses superhuman senses and increased strength, speed and agility through his connection with the Wakandan Panther god.

Plans for a Black Panther movie have been circulating since the early 90s, with Wesley Snipes (Blade) spending more than a decade attached to the role before Marvel reacquired the rights to the character in 2005 and announced that it would be one of ten projects entering in-house development (the others being Captain America, The Avengers, Nick Fury, Ant-Man, Cloak & Dagger, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, Power Pack and Shang-Chi). Director John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood) claimed to have been approached about helming the adaptation in 2007, and then in January 2011 it was revealed that documentary filmmaker Mark Bailey (Ghosts of Abu Ghraib) had been hired to pen a screenplay.

Of course nothing is official until we get word from Marvel or Disney, but if the rumours do prove correct, who would you like to see stepping into the role?