David Jonsson, the British actor best known to television audiences for “Industry,” has been named the next Black Panther, stepping into a role first defined by Chadwick Boseman.
The announcement came on Saturday night at Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where director Ryan Coogler, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, and returning cast members Letitia Wright and Winston Duke took the stage to confirm the casting and unveil a release date of December 15, 2028, for “Black Panther 3.”
Jonsson will not play T’Challa himself, but rather the adult son of T’Challa and Nakia, a character first introduced as a child in the post-credits scene of 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” According to Coogler, the film will follow the character coming of age with his eyes set on Wakanda’s throne.
Visibly moved by the reception in Hall H, Jonsson thanked the crowd and the Marvel family for the opportunity, saying he wanted to let the screen do the talking rather than say too much himself.
The casting effectively confirms what many fans had speculated since “Wakanda Forever”: that Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, who assumed the Black Panther mantle after T’Challa’s death, was a placeholder rather than a permanent successor, with the true passing of the torch now falling to T’Challa’s son.
Wright, who is returning for the third film, told Entertainment Weekly she felt a personal connection to the news given her own history with Jonsson.
Jonsson arrives at the role on the strength of a fast-rising résumé. Beyond “Industry,” in which he plays Gus Sackey, he has drawn notice for roles in “Rye Lane,” “Alien: Romulus,” and “The Long Walk.”
Coogler, who wrote and directed both prior installments, returns for the third film alongside Duke, reprising M’Baku. Marvel has also confirmed that Denzel Washington will join the cast in a role Coogler wrote specifically for him, though the character’s identity remains undisclosed.
Notably, the panel also revealed that “Black Panther 3” will be shot entirely on large-format celluloid film, a first for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The franchise’s roots remain tied to Boseman, whose star-making turn launched a cultural phenomenon. The original “Black Panther” earned $1.3 billion worldwide in 2018 and became the first superhero film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, ultimately winning three Oscars.
Boseman died of colon cancer in 2020 at 43, a loss that Coogler was still grappling with while making the sequel. “Wakanda Forever” went on to gross $859 million and earned an Oscar for the late Angela Bassett’s co-star, Ruth E. Carter.
For now, Marvel has released no further plot details or casting news, though the studio used the same panel to reveal Ryan Gosling as the star of an upcoming “Ghost Rider” film.
With more than two years until release, “Black Panther 3” enters production as one of the most closely watched titles of Marvel’s Phase Six slate and the clearest signal yet of how the studio intends to carry Boseman’s legacy forward.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Marvel has officially handed the Black Panther mantle to a new generation. David Jonsson will play T’Challa’s grown son in “Black Panther 3,” directed by Ryan Coogler and set for release December 15, 2028.
This isn’t a replacement for Chadwick Boseman’s character but a true passing of the torch to his son, continuing the story rather than recasting the original role.
