Marvel Studios has hired screenwriter Mark Bailey to write the feature adaptation of the comic book Black Panther.

Bailey seems like an unconventional choice to adapt this superhero tale, since most of his credits are from documentary programs. He wrote for the HBO documentary Pandemic: Facing AIDS and served as a story editor on Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.

The Black Panther character debuted in a 1966 Fantastic Four comic book issue and is considered to be the first black superhero in mainstream comic history. The character is king of a fictional African country who transforms himself into a superhero.

We reported earlier today on the upcoming Marvel Knights: Black Panther animated mini-series from Reginald Hudlin. You can CLICK HERE to read that interview.

No production schedule was given for the Black Panther theatrical project, but with a new writer attached, the project is definitely moving forward.