Black Panther 3 Will Star David Jonsson As New T'challa, Coming In 2028 [sdcc]

Marvel Studios

It's official: "Black Panther 3" is happening. Not that this is a big surprise or anything because it always felt inevitable, but fresh from the Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con, we have confirmation. Ryan Coogler is returning to Wakanda. What else did we learn about it? There's going to be a new Black Panther in the MCU...

Coogler took the stage during the SDCC presentation, with Marvel confirming that the sequel will hit theaters in December 2028. The bigger news came in the form of the confirmation of a new actor taking up the mantle of Black Panther: David Jonsson, known for his work in "Alien: Romulus" and "The Long Walk," which earned its place as one of the all-time great Stephen King adaptations.

Just announced in Hall H:

Ryan Coogler returns to Marvel Studios to direct Black Panther 3, only in theaters December 15, 2028. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/j8XZoLd4s2

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 26, 2026

Jonsson won't be replacing Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa. Rather, the actor will be playing a grown up version of T'Challa's son, who we met briefly at the end of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Obviously, the idea here is that there is going to be a passage of time, but there's also going to be a major passing of the torch. Either way, this is a huge deal for the future of the MCU.

"Thank you to this amazing family that I have the honor and the privilege, the blessing to join ... Believe me, the honor is entirely mine," Jonsson said from the Hall H stage.

Marvel Studios

Few franchises within the scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have had the level of impact that "Black Panther" has. After the character made his debut in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War," Chadwick Boseman led 2018's "Black Panther," which was at one point the highest-grossing superhero movie ever at the domestic box office. The movie finished with an astounding $1.33 billion at the global box office, becoming a bonafide phenomenon. It also went on to win big at the Oscars, in addition to scoring a Best Picture nomination.

Sadly, Boseman passed away in 2020 following a quiet cancer battle, which not only upended plans for this franchise, but the MCU overall. The original plans for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" with Boseman were very different from what we got. But Coogler and Marvel rallied around the rest of the cast, including Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright, delivering another big hit that took in $859 million at the box office. Though not as beloved critically as the original, it was still a big success.

That being the case, a third movie was all but assured to happen at some point. It was confirmed in 2023 that "Black Panther 3" was already in the works, and Coogler has talked about it multiple times (and there have even been rumors that Denzel Washington may be in it). So, again, this doesn't come as a huge surprise, but it's an important building block in the post-Multiverse Saga future that Marvel is trying to build. Things have been pretty uneven in the aftermath of "Avengers: Endgame," and Marvel needs some sure things to help shore up its future. This is about as sure as things get, especially in Coogler's hands.

"Black Panther 3," which will be a large format film, hits theaters on December 15, 2028.