David Jonsson Cast as T'Challa's Son in Black Panther 3
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- Ryan Coogler announced at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall H that Black Panther 3 hits theaters December 15, 2028, with David Jonsson cast as T'Challa's grown son, Toussaint (aka T'Challa II).
- T'Challa's son comes of age in the new film with eyes on Wakanda's crown — a character first seeded when Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia introduced him in the Wakanda Forever post-credits scene, with Rihanna's 'Lift Me Up' playing over the credits.
- Denzel Washington joins the cast as previously announced, while returning cast members Letitia Wright and Winston Duke appeared onstage with Coogler, Kevin Feige, and Jonsson for the reveal.
- Jonsson arrives off a hot streak: The Long Walk (directed by Francis Lawrence, alongside Cooper Hoffman) and Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus both had Hall H presentations in recent years, and he stars in HBO's Industry and 2023's Rye Lane.
- The franchise's box-office pedigree sets the bar: the 2018 original grossed $1.3B and won three Oscars, while Wakanda Forever (2022) earned $859M and made Ruth E. Carter the first Black woman to win two Academy Awards (Costume Design).
Why it matters: Setting Black Panther 3 for December 2028 gives Marvel a roughly three-year gap between sequels after Wakanda Forever's $859M run. Passing the mantle to T'Challa's son — a character first seeded in a 2022 post-credits scene — keeps the franchise anchored to its founding bloodline, with Denzel Washington added to broaden the ensemble.
