Though Marvel was likely planning to unveil one or both of its “unannounced films in development” at the upcoming Comic-Con panel, it appears the cat may have been let out of the bag.  We previously learned that one of Marvel’s two in-development mystery films might be Black Panther, and now it looks like that “Untitled Marvel Film” slated for release in 2014 could be none other than Guardians of the Galaxy.  First, as a refresher, here's Marvel's "Phase Two" release slate as it stands now:

Hit the jump for more regarding a Guardians of the Galaxy feature film. [Update: Reports have Disney and Marvel zeroing in Guardians of the Galaxy, which would take precedence over Black Panther.  Hit the jump for more.]

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So Latino Review is reporting that Guardians of the Galaxy will be announced as Marvel’s 2014 release not titled Captain America 2 at Comic-Con.  They’ve been pretty solid on Marvel news in the past so we’re inclined to believe this is true.  Moreover, Guardians of the Galaxy has come up multiple times in the past, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been talking about doing a “big space epic” since last year.

For those unfamiliar with Guardians of the Galaxy, the comic first appeared in 1969 and was resurrected in 2008. The story centers on a group of alien beings in the 31st century who are each the last of their kind. They eventually travel back in time and interact with 20th century Marvel characters, which is probably how they’ll fit within the Marvel cinematic universe (with it being the 21st century instead of the 20th).

Latino Review adds that Thanos—the big villain spotted in the tag for The Avengers—will be a character in the Guardians of the Galaxy, the film will lead directly into The Avengers 2, and the script is apparently, "incredible.”  As the pic has yet to be officially announced, we don’t yet know who exactly wrote said script.  However, it was obvious from The Avengers tag that Thanos would probably figure into The Avengers 2, so one assumes he’ll be a major player in at least the third act of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie to necessitate getting the whole gang back together for The Avengers 2.  He's one bad dude.

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It’s important to remember that this hasn’t been officially confirmed, but for those that have been following Marvel Studios closely over the past few years a Guardians of the Galaxy movie on the docket certainly isn't a shock. Thor proved that audiences were willing to follow these superhero characters into the realm of the fantastical, and The Avengers essentially sealed the deal.  I’m not familiar enough with the comics to start speculating on which characters we’d see in the film, but I’m eager to see what kind of behind-the-scenes team Marvel chooses to put Guardians of the Galaxy together.

We’ll have firm word and a much clearer picture of Marvel’s “Phase Two” slate after the studio’s Comic-Con panel in two weeks, but until then it looks like Guardians of the Galaxy just may be hitting theaters on May 16th, 2014.

[Update: Dave here.  Variety sources confirm that Disney and Marvel are pursuing a Guardians of the Galaxy feature, though Marvel had no comment.  Look for the upcoming Comic-Con presentation to spotlight Iron Man 3, but also touch on how the studios plan to introduce these new characters to the masses.  Variety went on to say that Disney recently secured trademark rights to the picture and its characters for consumer products.  They also report that Disney screenwriting alumna, Nicole Perlman, penned the draft that the studio is excited about.  Other projects in the pipeline include Dr. Strange, The Inhumans, Ant-Man and Black Panther.]

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