Kevin Feige says Ryan Coogler called him after secretly meeting with actor David Jonsson – and that the two unanimously agreed on casting him as the new Black Panther.
"A month and a half or so before that process, he called me and said, 'I found him,'" Feige told Empire. "I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He goes, 'I found him. He's this guy, David Jonsson.' He mentioned his movies. I had seen some of them. I watched more. He goes, 'I'm going to meet him.'"
Continued Feige: "He had a secret meeting with him 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.' 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.”
The news broke at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 during the Marvel Studios panel, when Kevin Feige brought Coogler to the stage and announced that Black Panther 3 was set for a December 15, 2028 release. Coogler then revealed to the crowd that they were not recasting T'Challa, but had instead cast someone to play a grown-up version of T'Challa's son (who was introduced as a kiddo in the Wakanda Forever post-credits scene). "In this next film, he grows up, comes of age, and we had to find an incredible actor," he said, before introducing David Jonsson as the new Black Panther.
Jonsson is best known for starring in Alien: Romulus, which earned him a BAFTA for Rising Star in 2025, and the dystopian Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk. If you're unfamiliar with his work, both of these movies showcase exactly what he can do... and prove why Marvel cast the perfect actor.
For more, check out our list of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way in 2026 and beyond.
