Director Ryan Coogler has revealed that British actor David Jonsson will take on the role of Black Panther in the upcoming third film of the franchise. Jonsson, 32, known for his performances in Industry, The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus, will portray the son of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa.
Comic-Con Announcement
Coogler brought Jonsson on stage during Marvel Studios’ Comic-Con International presentation on Saturday, alongside co-stars Letitia Wright and Winston Duke. The director said: “The last time we got to make a movie, we introduced a character who is the son of the character that the great Chadwick Boseman played – our T’Challa – in that film. And today, I want to tell you that in this next film, he grows up, he comes of age.”
Jonsson’s Career
Born in London, Jonsson began his career in the West End. He made his screen debut in 2018 in two episodes of the British detective drama Endeavour before being cast as Augustus “Gus” Sackey in the first two series of Industry from 2020 to 2022. He appeared in the 2025 adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller The Long Walk and won the Bafta rising star award that same year.
Jonsson also has roles in upcoming films The Chaperones, Benn/Eubank and Scandalous. He said: “Thank you to this family that I have the honour and the blessing to join. I don’t want to say too much, because I want to let the screen do the talking.”
Release and Background
Black Panther III is set to be released in US cinemas on 15 December 2028. A UK release date has yet to be confirmed. Boseman died in 2020 aged 43, four years after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in 2022, revealed that Boseman’s character, T’Challa, had a son. It followed Wright’s character, Shuri, as she became the protagonist after T’Challa’s death.
The first film, released in 2018, was set in the mythical country of Wakanda, a hidden African kingdom with innovative technology thanks to its reserves of the world’s most useful precious metal. It won three Oscars. Coogler, who directed the first two Black Panther movies, also co-produced the 2025 series Ironheart and Eyes of Wakanda.
