At the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 panel, Marvel Studios revealed some new details about Black Panther 3.
Kevin Feige officially confirmed that Ryan Coogler, fresh off his Oscar win, will direct, and the film is set for a December 15, 2028 release.
Most crucially of all, however, is the news that a new Black Panther has been cast. The Long Walk's David Jonsson will be taking up the mantle, playing the character of T'Challa's son, who was introduced in the Wakanda Forever post-credits scene. It's not quite clear how that works out on the Marvel timeline, considering T'Challa II was a young child when we met him. However, Coogler did sort of acknowledge this on stage. "In this next film, he grows up, comes of age, and we had to find an incredible actor," he shared.
"I want to say thank you so much," Jonsson told the crowd. "Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, Kevin. Thank you to this amazing family that I have the honor and the privilege of blessing to join. I actually don't want to say too much because I want to let this screen do the talking. But believe me, the honor is entirely mine. Thank you."
Black Panther 3 has been in development for some time, following on from the success of Black Panther 2 back in 2022. Denzel Washington was long rumored to be part of the cast after he revealed that Coogler had written a role specifically for him.
"Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther," Washington told TODAY during the Gladiator 2 press tour. He then listed off roles as Othello, Hannibal, in a mystery film with Steve McQueen, and King Lear before concluding: "After that, I'm going to retire."
We won't be waiting too long to see the Black Panther cast either as they are confirmed to be a part of Avengers: Doomsday. The Wakandans appeared in an early teaser and again as part of the main recently released trailer. It's not clear at the moment what role they'll play in the upcoming film, but new Black Panther Shuri, M'Baku, and Namor will all be involved.
For more from Marvel's panel, follow along with our Marvel SDCC 2026 live coverage as well as our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 live coverage as a whole and our SDCC 2026 schedule.
We've also got a list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.
