Black Panther 3 arrives December 15, 2028, with David Jonsson starring as T’Challa’s grown son and Ryan Coogler returning to direct. Marvel confirmed the casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, along with a genuine first for the studio: the film will be shot entirely on large-format celluloid.
What Was Announced at Comic-Con
Kevin Feige and Ryan Coogler broke the news together during Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel on Saturday, July 25. Returning cast members Letitia Wright and Winston Duke joined David Jonsson on stage.
- Release date: December 15, 2028
- Star: David Jonsson as T’Challa II
- Director: Ryan Coogler, returning for a third time
- Returning: Letitia Wright (Shuri), Winston Duke (M’Baku)
- Format: shot entirely on large-format film
Who Is David Jonsson Playing?
Jonsson plays the grown version of the child revealed in the closing minutes of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — T’Challa and Nakia’s son, raised in Haiti under the name Toussaint, who also carries his father’s Wakandan name.
That scene has sat unresolved since 2022. It was widely read as Marvel keeping a door open without committing to walking through it. This announcement is the commitment.
Jonsson is best known for Industry, Alien: Romulus, and The Long Walk — a working actor with critical standing rather than a franchise name. That is the same profile Chadwick Boseman had when he was cast in 2014.
The Celluloid Decision Is the Real Story
Every outlet is leading with the casting. The detail that will actually shape this film is that Coogler is shooting it entirely on large-format film stock — a first for a Marvel Studios production.
This is not a nostalgia flourish. Shooting large-format celluloid imposes hard practical constraints that run directly against how Marvel films are normally made:
| Typical MCU production | Large-format film | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Shoot broadly, decide in post | Limited stock, decide on set |
| Reshoots | Routine, often extensive | Expensive and disruptive |
| VFX approach | Heavy digital extension | Favors practical builds and location |
| Editorial flexibility | Very high | Constrained by what was captured |
Marvel’s most persistent criticism over the past five years has been that its films look flat and are assembled rather than directed — a consequence of shooting enormous coverage on digital against volume walls and finding the movie in the edit. Committing to film is a commitment to deciding what the movie is before the shoot, because you cannot fix it later at the same cost.
Coogler had just come off Sinners, which he shot on large-format film to considerable acclaim. Marvel is not merely letting him repeat that; it is letting him impose that discipline on a tentpole. Whether the studio holds its nerve when the first reshoot request arrives is the thing to watch.
The Succession Problem Marvel Still Has to Solve
There is an unavoidable difficulty here that the announcement does not address.
Wakanda Forever was a film about grief. Its emotional logic depended on T’Challa being gone and irreplaceable, and it gave the mantle to Shuri. Introducing a grown son and putting him in the suit means partially unwinding that — either Shuri steps aside, or the film has to hold two Black Panthers and justify both.
Marvel has attempted legacy handoffs repeatedly with mixed results. The version that worked best, Sam Wilson’s Captain America, took a six-episode series to earn. Doing it for a character whose absence was the entire subject of the previous film is harder, not easier. Casting an actor of Jonsson’s calibre suggests Marvel knows that.
What We Still Do Not Know
- Whether Lupita Nyong’o returns as Nakia
- How the film handles Shuri’s status as Black Panther
- Whether the story is set in Wakanda, Haiti, or both
- Any plot details at all — none were shared
Our earlier report on Coogler’s return being confirmed covers how the project got here. For everything else from the panel, see our Marvel Hall H 2026 recap, and our explainer on what vibranium actually is.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Black Panther 3 come out?
December 15, 2028, confirmed by Marvel Studios at San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
Who is the new Black Panther?
David Jonsson plays T’Challa II, the grown son of T’Challa and Nakia first glimpsed at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Is Ryan Coogler directing Black Panther 3?
Yes. Coogler returns to direct his third Black Panther film, and announced it on stage alongside Kevin Feige.
Is Shuri still Black Panther?
Marvel has not clarified this. Letitia Wright is confirmed to return, but the studio has not said how the film handles two claimants to the mantle.
Sources: Variety, Deadline, and The Beat.
