Marvel Studios has announced BAFTA winner David Jonsson as the new Black Panther. The British actor will play T’Challa’s grown son in the franchise’s third film, succeeding the late Chadwick Boseman.
Marvel Studios has officially revealed the actor who will take on the Black Panther mantle in the franchise’s third instalment, with British star David Jonsson announced as the lead at Comic-Con International on Saturday.
Jonsson, 32, will play the grown son of T’Challa, the character immortalised by the late Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. The casting marks the first time a new face has been officially attached to the central Black Panther role since Boseman’s death.)
Director Ryan Coogler, who helmed both previous Black Panther films and recently won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his vampire film Sinners, joined Jonsson on stage alongside returning cast members Letitia Wright and Winston Duke to make the announcement.
“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. And today, I want to tell you that in this next film, he grows up, he comes of age,” Coogler said.)
Ryan Coogler with the cast of Black Panther
Jonsson, visibly moved by the moment, kept his words brief.
“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,” he said.
Meet David Jonsson
Born in London, Jonsson began his career in West End theatre before transitioning to screen. He is best known internationally for playing Augustus Sackey in the first two seasons of the critically acclaimed British drama Industry, and more recently starred in the 2025 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk and the sci-fi horror film Alien: Romulus.)
He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2025, one of the industry’s most closely watched indicators of emerging talent.
Black Panther III
The film is scheduled for release in US cinemas on December 15, 2028, with a UK date yet to be confirmed. Letitia Wright, who took centre stage in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever following Boseman’s death, and Winston Duke, who plays M’Baku, are both confirmed to return.
The first Black Panther film, released in 2018, won three Academy Awards and remains one of Marvel’s most culturally significant productions.
