David Jonsson to play T’Challa’s son in Black Panther 3

David Jonsson is set to play T’Challa’s son in Black Panther 3, which now carries a Dec. 15, 2028 release date in the United States. The casting keeps Marvel inside the royal line Chadwick Boseman helped define, rather than asking the studio to recast the hero who anchored the first two films.

Ryan Coogler confirmed in November 2025 that Black Panther 3 was his next movie, telling an audience at Contenders Film: Los Angeles that the sequel was moving forward. Coogler also wrote a role specifically for Denzel Washington, adding a veteran presence to a story that is now being built around T’Challa’s son. Washington had already said in late 2024 that Coogler was “writing a part for me.”

The release plan has shifted through several rounds of speculation. Marvel Studios added three untitled theatrical dates on March 23, 2026, including July 28, 2028, May 4, 2029, and July 13, 2029, feeding speculation that one of those slots could have been reserved for the Wakanda series. Earlier chatter pointed to a February 2028 window, but later listings and coverage placed Black Panther 3 on Dec. 15, 2028 instead.

That timing matters because Black Panther remains one of Marvel’s most commercially important series. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened in 2022 to about $180 million domestically and about $330 million globally in its debut weekend. The film went on to earn $453,829,060 at the domestic box office, and its performance helped Disney cross $3 billion at the global box office that year.

For Marvel, the third film has to do more than continue a profitable brand. It has to refresh a flagship property without severing the emotional connection that made Wakanda resonate in the first place. Centering T’Challa’s son gives the studio a way to preserve continuity, honor the legacy associated with Boseman’s performance, and introduce a new lead in Jonsson without erasing the cultural weight of the character.

The result is a sequel built around succession as much as spectacle, with Wakanda’s future now tied to the next generation and the franchise’s ability to grow without losing the audience that made it a landmark.