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Marvel Studios dominated Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, delighting attendees with announcements, reveals, and confirmations aplenty. Not only were badge-holders treated to new Avengers: Doomsday footage, but they were also the first to learn of Ryan Gosling’s casting as Ghost Rider. The studio’s biggest surprise, though, was the reveal that Black Panther 3 is coming in 2028, and that The Long Walk actor David Jonsson will be playing the new Black Panther.
Interestingly, Marvel Cinematic Universe architect Kevin Feige revealed to Empire that Jonsson was cast six months ago. The actor, whose screen credits also include Alien: Romulus and HBO’s thriller series Industry, will be playing the son of the late Chadwick Boseman’s character T’Challa. Boseman died of colon cancer in August 2020.
Feige explained that he and director Ryan Coogler, who’s returning to helm Black Panther 3, were waiting for Coogler to finish the Oscars campaign for last year’s Sinners. But Coogler made his decision early, according to Feige: “He had a secret meeting with him [David Jonsson] under cloak of darkness in a hotel somewhere, and called me afterwards and said, ‘He’s the guy, he’s the guy, I felt it. I felt it in my soul. He’s a good man, and he is the next Black Panther,’” Feige recalled. “And I got chills, and I got a little welled-up and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we’ve been sitting on this secret for a good five or six months.”
Feige, it seems, is just as excited about Jonsson’s casting as Coogler is.
Black Panther 3 Rumors Have Been Teasing An Epic Threequel
For the past year or so, the internet has been full of speculation about who will play Black Panther after Boseman’s untimely passing. One bit of speculation that had some fans thoroughly convinced was that F Damson Idris was Marvel’s choice for top billing in Black Panther 3. Idris himself confirmed that this was false, admitting he did not know what Marvel was planning for the character. In August 2025, podcaster and reporter Jeff Sneider even name-dropped Jonsson as a potential contender, saying, “But yes, for T’Challa, I don’t know if it’ll be Damson Idris … I think David Jonsson is really looking pretty good for that.”
Now that Jonsson is confirmed, we can start looking at how his time playing the character will look and feel. Coogler seems confident not just in the young actor’s talent, but in his character, which is key. Boseman embodied the requisite strength, resilience, and kindness of T’Challa, and Jonsson, while brand-new to the role, has an opportunity to bring all of that and more.
We don’t know much about Black Panther 3 beyond the casting of David Jonsson, early word that Denzel Washington will be in the film, and confirmation that Ryan Coogler is returning to the director’s chair.
The film has a release date of December 15, 2028; with Avengers: Doomsday hitting theaters in less than six months, we’re sure to get a better idea of where Black Panther fits into the MCU’s future.
Letitia Wright Reacts to Passing Torch to New Black Panther Star After Just Two Movies
