British actor David Jonsson has been announced as the new Black Panther, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe series six years after the death of Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the character previously.
The announcement was revealed on Saturday during Marvel Studios’ Comic-Con Hall H presentation in San Diego, coupled with confirmation that “Black Panther 3” will open in theaters on December 15, 2028.
Jonsson, 32, will play Prince T’Challa II, also known as Toussaint, the son of T’Challa (Boseman) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o).
The character was introduced as a child in the final scene of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” in 2022, and the upcoming film will follow him as he grows up.
The actor is coming off a run of breakout performances, having starred in “Alien: Romulus” and “The Long Walk.”
He is also renowned for the BBC and HBO series “Industry” and the film “Rye Lane.”
Boseman died in 2020 at age 43 after a private battle with colon cancer, a diagnosis he had kept from the public and even the studio while filming.
Boseman’s death came as Marvel was in the early stages of developing a sequel to the 2018 original, which grossed $1.3 billion worldwide and became the first superhero film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
Following his death, Marvel opted not to recast T’Challa.
Instead, “Wakanda Forever” saw Letitia Wright’s Shuri take up the Black Panther mantle, a storyline that earned Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination, the first for an actor in a Marvel film.
Wright will return as Shuri in “Black Panther 3,” alongside Winston Duke as M’Baku.
Denzel Washington also joins the cast in a role that has yet to be revealed, making his MCU debut.
Jonsson’s selection officially ends years of discussion over how Marvel will carry on the Black Panther tradition, opting to pass the baton down within Boseman’s own bloodline rather than recasting his original part entirely.
Ryan Coogler returns to direct, finishing the trilogy he started in 2018.
