David Jonsson announced as the new T’Challa, honoring Chadwick Boseman’s legacy.
Letitia Wright’s Shuri assumed the Black Panther mantle in ‘Wakanda Forever’.
Denzel Washington to star alongside Jonsson and the returning cast.
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty
All hail Wakanda’s new king!
Source: Jesse Grant / Getty
After months of casting rumors, Ryan Coogler announced Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con that actor David Jonsson will step into the role of T’Challa, the son and namesake of the late Chadwick Boseman’s beloved hero.
The highly anticipated sequel is slated to hit theaters on Dec. 15, 2028, marking the next chapter in one of Marvel’s most celebrated franchises and an official return to Wakanda.
Jonsson, a British actor known for his work in The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus, took the stage alongside Coogler, Letitia Wright and Winston Duke following the announcement and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to carry the iconic mantle.
Source: Jesse Grant / Getty
“I want to say thank you so much,” he told the Comic-Con crowd. “Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, Kevin Feige. Thank you to this amazing family that I honor. It’s a privilege and blessing to join.”
He continued,
“I don’t want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking,” he said. “But believe me, the honor is entirely mine.”
The casting confirms years of speculation surrounding the future of the Black Panther franchise following Chadwick Boseman’s untimely passing in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer.
As we all know, rather than recasting the original T’Challa, Coogler and Marvel Studios chose to honor Boseman’s legacy in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with Letitia Wright’s Shuri assuming the Black Panther mantle.
However, the film’s emotional closing moments revealed that Lupita Nyong’o’s character Nakia had secretly been raising her son with T’Challa, introducing audiences to the young prince, Toussaint, whose Wakandan name is Prince T’Challa II.
Denzel Washington Will Also Star In Black Panther 3
Jonsson will star alongside not only Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, but Denzel Washington. As previously reported, the iconic actor prematurely announced in November 2024 that he would be in the film while discussing retirement plans.
“I played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’m talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther. After that, I’m going to do the film Othello. After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire,” he told The Today Show Australia.
“At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best, I don’t know how many more films I will make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done,” said Washington.
With Jonsson officially taking up the mantle as the next T’Challa, Black Panther 3 is poised to usher Wakanda into a new era while honoring the legacy that made the franchise a global phenomenon.
