By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The first Black Panther remains one of Marvel Studios’ most ambitious and epic films. It did a great job bringing Wakanda to life and intersecting that futuristic country within the greater cinematic universe. That first film starred the late, great Chadwick Boseman, whose powerhouse performance in the lead role held the entire thing together. After Boseman tragically passed away, Marvel forged ahead with a sequel in which Shuri became the titular hero. After that movie, fans everywhere wondered if this franchise would ever get another film. But Marvel confirmed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that we’ll be getting a Black Panther 3 directed by Ryan Coogler.
At San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige thrilled fans with announcements about new projects like Ghost Rider while showing some never-before-seen footage from both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. After showing the footage, he wrapped up the presentation and acted like he was about to leave. But this was just a fakeout, and with a Columbo-like “There is one more thing,” he walked back onstage to announce Black Panther 3. As with the previous two films in the franchise, this third entry will be directed by Sinners director Ryan Coogler. He appeared onstage alongside veteran Black Panther actors Letitia Wright and Winston Duke to share the big news.
The Man, The Myth
Wright, of course, played the lead role in Black Panther 2. She did a solid job, but most agree that she couldn’t fill the tall shoes left by the late Chadwick Boseman. Because of this and some offscreen controversies (mostly related to her very public anti-vaccine statements), many fans had wondered if she would continue to play the role of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While she will star in Black Panther 3, she is officially passing the torch to a new actor: David Jonsson, who plays the son of Boseman’s Black Panther. Jonsson is best known for The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus.
The good news is that, against all the odds, we’re getting a new Black Panther film. The bad news is that we’ll have to wait a while. Black Panther 3 has an official release date of December 15, 2028. This will be Marvel’s second official outing of 2028, with Ghost Rider coming out sometime earlier that year. Notably, both films are releasing after Avengers: Secret Wars reboots the MCU. Because of that, it’s possible Jonsson is walking into a very different cinematic universe than Boseman did. This might explain his character’s very existence, as T’Challa doesn’t have a son in the primary Marvel Comics timeline.
It’s going to be a long wait (nearly two and a half years!) until Black Panther 3 comes out. Fortunately, it looks like it will be worth the wait. Ryan Coogler is an amazing director, and the returning Marvel talents are reliably great in their roles. Also, Jonsson was just captivating in Alien: Romulus, and he’ll be an awesome addition to the most famous cinematic universe ever made. But will this third trip to the Black Panther well leave us screaming “Wakanda forever!” or just screaming for a refund? The only way to find out is to see it in theaters.
Just remember, they’ll take debit, credit, and cash. But please, no vibrainium!
