Marvel casts a new Black Panther for Black Panther 3

Marvel’s San Diego Comic-Con panel wasn’t all about Avengers: Doomsday, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and writer-director Ryan Coogler confirmed on stage that a third Black Panther film is in the works. Better yet, it’ll feature the son of T’Challa as the Black Panther.

The movie is officially titled Black Panther 3 and will be released in theaters on Dec. 15, 2028. Ryan Coogler will direct once again and will shoot it on a larger format celluloid film rather than digitally. T’Challa’s son, who was revealed in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, will have a bigger role in the movie and be portrayed by David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk). He’s the new Black Panther.

Not much else is known about the film’s plot at this time.

Director Ryan Coogler has affirmed his intention to make a third Black Panther movie in the past, but he has been focused on other projects, such as an X-Files reboot and the critically acclaimed Sinners. Now, it seems schedules have aligned, and Coogler and Marvel Studios are nearly ready to film the first Black Panther movie since 2022.

The most recent entry in the Black Panther series, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, saw actress Letitia Wright’s character Shuri step into the role of the Black Panther. The film largely served as a heartfelt send-off to the franchise’s late star Chadwick Boseman and his character, T’Challa. Despite its difficult path to the screen, Wakanda Forever grossed $859 million worldwide.

One actor who was unfortunately not confirmed during the panel was Denzel Washington. The famous actor actually let slip that he was in the next Black Panther years ago. While promoting Gladiator 2 in 2024, Washington casually mentioned that Ryan Coogler was writing a part for him in Black Panther 3. As of now, we still don’t know for sure if he’ll be in the movie.

We’ll see Shuri’s Black Panther and other supporting characters from that series next in Avengers: Doomsday, which will come to theaters on Dec. 18. Black Panther 3 will be released on Dec. 15, 2028, after Avengers: Secret Wars and Ghost Rider.