Black Panther 3 casts David Jonsson as T'Challa's son for 2028 release
Marvel Studios has cast David Jonsson as Toussaint for the third Black Panther film, which will feature a time jump and the debut of Denzel Washington.
Black Panther 3 casts David Jonsson as T'Challa's son for 2028 release
Marvel Studios has officially cast 32-year-old English actor David Jonsson as the next iteration of the Black Panther. The announcement took place Saturday, July 25, 2026, during the studio's panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
Jonsson will portray Toussaint, also known as T'Challa II. The character is the adult son of the original T'Challa, played by the late Chadwick Boseman, and Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong'o. The existence of the son was first teased in a post-credits scene at the end of 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The film is scheduled to open in theaters on Dec. 15, 2028. Director Ryan Coogler will return to helm the project, completing a trilogy that began with the 2018 original. Coogler recently won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Sinners, a horror film that earned 16 Academy Award nominations and a Best Actor win for Michael B. Jordan.
According to Coogler, the new film will follow Jonsson's character as he grows up
and comes of age
into the role of his father's successor. Because T'Challa's son was a young child at the conclusion of the previous film, the story is expected to involve a time jump.
Jonsson, who has appeared in Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk, Rye Lane, and HBO's Industry, expressed his gratitude to Coogler and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige during the panel.
"I want to let this screen do the talking,"
David Jonsson, actor, via yahoo.com
"But believe me, the honor is entirely mine."
The cast will also include returning stars Letitia Wright as Shuri and Winston Duke as M'Baku. Denzel Washington is also set to make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the specifics of Washington's role remain undisclosed, Coogler stated on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast in June 2025 that he wrote a part specifically for the Oscar winner.
"Denzel is family at this point ... I've been trying to work with him since day one,"
Ryan Coogler, director, via ca.news.yahoo.com
The franchise has a history of critical and commercial success. The 2018 original grossed $1.3 billion worldwide and earned seven Oscar nominations, including the first Best Picture nomination for a superhero movie. It won awards for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. The 2022 sequel, Wakanda Forever, earned $859 million globally and five Oscar nominations, including a historic Best Supporting Actress nomination for Angela Bassett.
The shift in focus for the third film follows the 2020 death of Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer at age 43. Following Boseman's death, Coogler rewrote the sequel's script to center on Shuri inheriting the mantle.
The new film will be shot on 70mm. Other MCU developments mentioned at the panel include Avengers: Doomsday, which opens Dec. 18. That film will feature Shuri, M'Baku, and Namor, and will be released on the same day as the third Dune film.
Marvel is expected to share further details about Black Panther 3 in 2027.
