Ryan Coogler Cast David Jonsson as Next Black Panther
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- Kevin Feige revealed to Empire that Ryan Coogler held a "secret meeting" with David Jonsson about five or six months ago at an unnamed hotel, bypassing Marvel's planned formal casting search process.
- Coogler discovered Jonsson while working on "Sinners" during its Academy campaign and called Feige afterward to say "He's the guy...I felt it in my soul," prompting Feige to say he "got chills" and "got a little welled-up."
- Jonsson will play T'Challa's son in "Black Panther 3," set for theatrical release on Dec. 15, 2028, with Letitia Wright and Winston Duke confirmed to return.
- Marvel announced the casting at its Hall H panel on Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con.
- "Black Panther 3" follows Prince T'Challa II as he comes of age and takes up the Black Panther mantle — Letitia Wright was the first to inherit the role after Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer at age 43 in 2020.
Why it matters: The casting marks a generational handoff for the franchise — Jonsson plays T'Challa's son, not a recast of Boseman's character — and Coogler circumvented Marvel's standard formal search by picking his lead personally during his own Oscar push. The Dec. 15, 2028 release date commits Marvel to a six-year gap between "Wakanda Forever" (2022) and the next installment.
