Anthony Mackie, who rocketed to stardom in The Hurt Locker, is in negotiations to play The Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is being directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (You, Me and Dupree).  Mackie will likely join Chris Evans in the Captain America sequel, which will be based on the Ed Brubaker Winter Soldier saga in which The Falcon aids Cap in his struggle against the Sentinel of Liberty’s former sidekick Bucky, who returns as a brainwashed super-assassin.

The Falcon was created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan and introduced in Captain America #117.  Although Black Panther debuted first, T’Challa is a native of Wakanda, so The Falcon can lay claim to being mainstream comics’ first African-American superhero.  The Harlem-born hero, whose alter ego is Samuel Thomas Wilson, has a suit that enables him to fly and a mental bond with his falcon Redwing.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mackie will be seen in Warner Bros. Gangster Squad this fall, and is currently shooting Runner, Runner with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which just received its real title at Comic-Con (see "Marvel Confirms 'Guardians of the Galaxy'"), is slated to debut on April 4th, 2014.