Marvel Studios sent shockwaves through Hall H on Saturday night with the official confirmation of “Black Panther 3.”
Ryan Coogler returned to the stage to announce that he will once again write and direct the third installment in his Wakanda saga, set to hit theaters worldwide on December 15, 2028.
Coogler revealed that the film will be shot on 70mm film, promising a cinematic visual spectacle built for the largest screens available.
The biggest casting news of the night arrived when Coogler, joined on stage by franchise stars Letitia Wright (Shuri) and Winston Duke (M’Baku), introduced British breakout star David Jonsson as T’Challa’s grown-up son, Prince Toussaint (T’Challa II).
Jonsson, whose standout performances in HBO’s Industry, Searchlight’s critically acclaimed Rye Lane, Alien: Romulus, and the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, is stepping into the role of the royal heir as he comes of age.
While Marvel has not officially confirmed whether Toussaint will ultimately don the vibranium suit to become the next Black Panther, his casting places T’Challa’s direct lineage front and center for the third film.
Audiences were first introduced to the young royal during the emotional mid-credits scene of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) revealed to Shuri that she and the late King T’Challa (played by the late Chadwick Boseman) had raised a son in secret away from the intense pressures of the Wakandan throne.
Addressing the Hall H crowd, Coogler reflected on carrying the franchise’s emotional torch forward into a new era:
“The last time we got to make a movie, we introduced a character who is the son of the character that the great Chadwick Boseman played, our T’Challa, in that film,” Coogler told the audience. “And today, I want to tell you that in this next film, he grows up—he comes of age.”
Following Coogler’s introduction, Jonsson walked out to a standing ovation, expressing his gratitude for joining the Wakandan family:
“I want to say thank you so much,” Jonsson said on stage. “Thank you Ryan, thank you Kevin, thank you to this amazing family that I have the honor and the privilege and the blessing to join. I actually don’t want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking. But believe me, the honor is entirely mine.”
Coogler’s decision to shoot Black Panther 3 natively in 70mm film marks a major moment for Marvel Studios. Known for pushing the aesthetic boundaries of blockbuster filmmaking, Coogler is embracing large-format analog cinema to give Wakanda an unprecedented depth, texture, and scale on IMAX 70mm and special large-format screens.
Rather than looking backward, Black Panther 3 focuses on generational transition, exploring what it means for T’Challa’s son to embrace his royal heritage, honor his father’s memory, and navigate his place in Wakanda’s future.
Whether that coming-of-age journey leads him to inherit the Black Panther suit or forge his own path alongside Shuri and M’Baku remains one of the most compelling mysteries leading up to 2028.
While further plot details remain tightly guarded, the project builds on years of anticipation, including previous comments from living legend Denzel Washington, who revealed last year that Coogler was writing a role specifically for him in the third film before Washington’s planned retirement from acting.
Black Panther 3 hits theaters on December 15, 2028.
