David Jonsson is stepping into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the new Black Panther, taking on the role of T’Challa’s son in the upcoming third installment of the franchise. Marvel officially announced the news during its Comic-Con Hall H panel, confirming that the film is scheduled for a December 15, 2028 release date, Variety reported.

Jonsson’s character, Prince T’Challa II, was first introduced as a young child in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The new film will focus on Prince T’Challa II as he comes of age, which feels like a natural progression for the series. David Jonsson recently delivered impressive performances in Alien Romulus and the adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk, so he definitely has the range to handle a character with this much weight.

Ryan Coogler is returning to direct the third film, which is exactly what the fans wanted to hear. It is also great to know that Letitia Wright will reprise her role as Shuri and Winston Duke will be back as M’Baku. Wright stepped into the Black Panther suit in the previous film following the death of Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed T’Challa in the original 2018 movie. Boseman died of colon cancer at age 43 in 2020 while Coogler was still working on the sequel.

At the time, Wright told Variety, “You know, we just had a terrific two years of bringing it out and everybody coming together to support it.” She added, “We need a little bit of a break, we need to regroup and Ryan needs to get back into the lab, so it’s going to take a little while, but we’re really excited for you guys to see that.”

The legacy of this franchise is undeniable. The first Black Panther movie was a total juggernaut, pulling in $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. It made history as the first superhero movie to earn an Oscar nomination for best picture, ultimately taking home three awards for costume design, production design, and original score.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also performed incredibly well, grossing $859 million worldwide and securing a massive $331 million opening weekend. That film also marked a huge milestone for the genre when Angela Bassett received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, making her the first actor in a Marvel film to be recognized by the Academy in an acting category.

If you are missing Shuri, you do not have to wait until 2028 to see her again. Wright is part of the massive cast for Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit theaters on December 18.

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