Ryan Coogler is officially back for Black Panther 3, and Marvel just answered the question fans have been asking for years. During its Hall H panel, Marvel Studios confirmed a December 15, 2028 release for the film, alongside the news that Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk star David Jonsson will play the grown-up version of T’Challa’s son, stepping into the role of the new Black Panther.
The casting closes a chapter that began with Chadwick Boseman’s death in August 2020. Boseman introduced T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War before leading 2018’s Black Panther, a film that became a cultural landmark and earned a Best Picture nomination. Marvel chose not to recast the role after his passing, instead passing the Black Panther mantle to Shuri in 2022’s Wakanda Forever. That film closed with a reveal that set up everything happening now: T’Challa had a secret son with Nakia, a boy named Toussaint, introduced on screen as Prince T’Challa.
Jonsson joined Coogler on stage for the announcement and thanked the director, Kevin Feige, and what he called the “amazing family” he now gets to join. The pick lines up with reporting from industry insider Jeff Sneider, who named Jonsson as Marvel’s frontrunner for the role months before it became official, ahead of more widely rumored names like Damson Idris.
Denzel Washington’s involvement, confirmed by Coogler last year, remains part of the project as well, with his exact role still unannounced. With a director, a release date, and now a new Black Panther in place, the film heads into production with more locked down than fans expected walking into today’s panel.
This is the second major film announcement tonight; Ghost Rider with Ryan Gosling was the first announced tonight at SDCC
