Wakanda may not be forever. But it will be around for at least one more movie.
As part of their big Comic-Con panel in Hall H in San Diego, Marvel announced that there will be a third Black Panther movie as part of the next era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. David Jonson, star of The Long Walk and Alien: Romulus, has been cast as T’Challa’s son in the film. Letitia Wright will also star as well.
And Ryan Coogler, director of both of the first two Black Panther films, will return to direct Black Panther III.
Following the death of original franchise star Chadwick Boseman in 2020, 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever shifted the franchise’s focus to his character T’Challa’s sister Shuri. In the wake of T’Challa’s sudden death, Shuri (Letitia Wright) becomes the new Black Panther, the protector of the African nation of Wakanda. In the film, she and her allies battled Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejia) and the underwater nation of Talokan.
Both Wright and Mejia will reprise their role in this year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
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While a third Black Panther movie was almost a certainty, especially when Wakanda Forever grossed $859 million worldwide, Coogler returning to direct it was not. After Sinners — an original concept that Coogler created — grossed more than $370 million worldwide, he had enormous freedom to choose his next project. He didn’t need to do another Black Panther. The fact that he is returning for the sequel speaks volumes.
As for Marvel’s immediate upcoming schedule, they have Spider-Man: Brand New Day opening next week, Avengers; Doomsday scheduled to open in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars opening on December 17, 2027. At Comic-Con, the company also announced a Ghost Rider movie coming in 2028, starring Ryan Gosling.
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