Black Panther 3: Denzel Washington, Winston Duke Join Jonsson’s T’Challa II for Dec. 2028
Marvel Studios used its Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday to flesh out the cast of “Black Panther 3,” confirming that Denzel Washington and returning star Winston Duke will join newcomer David Jonsson when the trilogy closer arrives on December 15, 2028. Director Ryan Coogler also revealed the film will be shot partially on IMAX 70mm, making it the first Marvel Studios production to use physical film rather than an all-digital pipeline, according to Marvel’s own recap of the panel.
The headline reveal, that Jonsson will play a grown-up version of T’Challa’s son rather than a recast of Chadwick Boseman’s original king, had already been reported. But the panel added new specifics on who else is coming back to Wakanda and how the film will be made, filling out a picture that was still mostly blank just days ago.
Jonsson’s T’Challa II Is a New Hero, Not a Recast
Jonsson will portray T’Challa II, the grown-up son of the late King T’Challa and Nakia, who was first introduced at the end of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. David Jonsson will portray grown-up T’Challa II, “Toussaint,” in “Black Panther 3” coming to theaters December 2028. The character was last seen on screen as a small child living in Haiti with his mother, so his arrival as an adult actor points to a significant time jump for the trilogy’s next chapter.
Introducing the actor to the Hall H crowd, Coogler tied the casting directly back to the ending of “Wakanda Forever.” “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,” Coogler told the Hall H crowd, adding, “In this next film, he grows up.”
Jonsson, visibly moved by the reception, kept plot specifics close to his chest. After being introduced by Coogler, David Jonsson received a standing ovation from the Hall H audience before saying, “I want to say thank you so much. Thank you Ryan, thank you Kevin, thank you to this amazing family that I have the honor and the privilege and the blessing to join,” adding that he preferred to “let the screen do the talking.”
Denzel Washington’s Role Still Under Wraps
Alongside Jonsson’s casting, Marvel confirmed Denzel Washington will make his MCU debut somewhere in “Black Panther 3,” though his exact role hasn’t been disclosed. The Oscar winner previously said Coogler was writing a part for him specifically, a plan that appears to have now paid off two years after he first floated the idea publicly.
Washington joins a returning ensemble that includes Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Winston Duke’s M’Baku. Director Ryan Coogler will return for the third film, as well as Letitia Wright reprising her role as Shuri and Winston Duke as M’Baku. No other new cast members were named during the panel.
A December 2028 Release Shot Partially on Film
Marvel Studios unveiled the update during its panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, confirming that Black Panther 3 will open in theaters on Dec. 15, 2028. That slots the film into Phase Seven of the MCU, arriving one of several MCU titles slated to arrive after Avengers: Secret Wars, itself due in 2027.
Beyond the casting, Coogler also confirmed a notable technical shift for the franchise. The movie will be partially shot on IMAX 70mm, making this the first Marvel Studios movie to have scenes shot on film, as all projects before have been shot digitally. It’s a format choice more associated with prestige dramas and Christopher Nolan blockbusters than superhero sequels, and signals Coogler is treating the trilogy’s finale as a visual departure as well as a narrative one.
Where Doomsday Leaves Wakanda Before the Sequel
The announcement lands weeks before Shuri’s next big-screen appearance in “Avengers: Doomsday,” out this December, which is expected to keep Wakanda’s cast busy ahead of the 2028 sequel. Shuri, played by Wright, is expected to have a major role in Avengers: Doomsday, continuing a storyline that has featured prominently in the film’s marketing, with trailers teasing conflict between Wakanda and the Talokans, led by Namor. How that conflict resolves could shape the political backdrop Jonsson’s character inherits when he comes of age in “Black Panther 3.”
For Australian and New Zealand audiences, Marvel’s last two Wakanda instalments both opened in local cinemas alongside North America, and Disney has typically kept the franchise on a simultaneous global release pattern. No regional date beyond the worldwide December 15, 2028 target has been confirmed, but fans in the region can reasonably expect the same day-and-date treatment when official scheduling details follow closer to release.
Read also: Black Panther 3 Sets Dec. 15, 2028 Date, Casts The Long Walk’s David Jonsson as New Hero
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