Black Panther is back!
David Jonsson has been cast as the new Black Panther and is playing T’Challa’s son in “Black Panther 3,” out Dec. 15, 2028. The film will follow Jonsson’s character, Prince T’Challa II, as he comes of age after he was introduced as a child in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Director Ryan Coogler will return for the third film, as well as Leticia Wright reprising her role as Shuri and Winston Duke as M’Baku. The news was announced at Marvel’s Comic-Con Hall H panel.
Wright took over as Black Panther from her late co-star Chadwick Boseman in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” with Shuri becoming the eponymous superhero. Boseman, who portrayed T’Challa in the first “Black Panther,” died of colon cancerat age 43 in 2020, when Coogler was working on the sequel. The character T’Challa II was introduced as T’Challa and Nakia’s (Lupita Nyong’o) son in “Wakanda Forever.”
Jonsson recently starred in “Alien Romulus” and the adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Long Walk.” Wright told Variety in January 2023 after the release of “Wakanda Forever” that she thought the third film in the franchise was “already in the works.”
“You know, we just had a terrific two years of bringing it out and everybody coming together to support it,” Wright said in the interview. “We need a little bit of a break, we need to regroup and Ryan needs to get back into the lab, so it’s going to take a little while, but we’re really excited for you guys to see that.”
The first “Black Panther” movie, released in 2018, took in $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, and starred Boseman, Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Forrest Whitaker, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira and Angela Bassett. It earned seven Oscar nominations, including best picture, the first superhero movie to do so. The film won three Oscars, including best costume design, best production design and best original score.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” grossed $859 million worldwide when it was released in 2022, and had one of the most profitable opening weekends post-pandemic, earning $331 million worldwide. The film was nominated for five Oscars, with Angela Bassett’s nomination for best supporting actress marking the first time any actor in a Marvel film was nominated for an Academy Award.
Marvel fans won’t have to wait long to see Wright back in action as Black Panther, as she’s part of the sprawling “Avengers: Doomsday” cast. The film will hit theaters on Dec. 18.
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