Ryan Coogler confirms “Black Panther 3” is coming — with a new T’Challa

Ryan ColemanSun, July 26, 2026 at 1:55 AM UTC

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Ryan Coogler; Black PantherCredit: Phillip Faraone/Getty; Marvel StudiosKey points -

A third Black Panther movie is officially on the way, and it has a brand-new star.

Filmmaker Ryan Coogler announced at Comic-Con that David Jonsson will play T’Challa, the son and namesake of the late Chadwick Boseman’s character, in Black Panther 3.

The movie will hit theaters Dec. 15, 2028.

Wakanda has a new Black Panther.

Oscar-winning director Ryan Coogler announced at San Diego Comic-Con that a third Black Panther movie is in the works, with a brand-new star who will take on the titular mantle.

The Long Walk actor David Jonsson is set to play T’Challa, the son and namesake of the late Chadwick Boseman’s character. Black Panther 3 will hit theaters Dec. 15, 2028.

Ryan Coogler in Beverly Hills in 2026Credit: Kayla Oaddams/WireImage

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The announcement came during Marvel’s star-studded Hall H panel on Saturday, where Jonsson, 32, expressed his gratitude. “I want to say thank you so much,” he said. “Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, [Kevin Feige]. Thank you to this amazing family that I honor, [it’s] a privilege and blessing to join.”

He added, “I don’t want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking, but believe me, the honor is entirely mine.”

Rumors have been swirling around the details of the third entry in the Black Panther series for years — many of them generated by members of the film’s high-profile cast.

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Back in 2024, Denzel Washington revealed that Coogler was “writing a part for me in the next Black Panther.” He later apologized to Coogler directly for letting the cat out of the bag, noting the following month, “I called him. I said, ‘I’m sorry, man.’ He’s like, ‘No, man, it’s all good.’” In 2025, Coogler confirmed that Washington has a role in the upcoming film.

The original Black Panther arrived in 2018, starring Boseman in the title rose as T’Challa, king of the fictional East African nation of Wakanda who fights to protect his people and the valuable vibranium reserves that make them so powerful. Boseman died in 2020, and Letitia Wright, who plays his sister Shuri, stepped up to take on the Black Panther mantle in 2022’s Wakanda Forever.

At the end of the sequel, however, Lupita Nyong’o’s Nakia reveals that she has been raising her son with T’Challa, Toussaint, in secret. His Wakandan name? T’challa.

Last February, Nyong’o spoke on Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardistabout rumors that Marvel was considering recasting Boseman’s part in the wake of the Wakanda Forever reveal. “Honestly, I do not put any energy into trying to imagine a future that I have no control of. So we’ll see. And when we know more, we’ll know more,” she said.

Marvel producer Nate Moore addressed those rumors in a statement to EW that same month, saying, “We don’t know what the story is, so I couldn’t tell you whether or not we’re open to recasting. It certainly wasn’t our instinct for Wakanda Forever. I’ll never say never to anything, but it’s too early to talk about any of that stuff. We have to figure out what the story’s going to be.”

Check out more of EW’s coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

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