Key Takeaways
- Letitia Wright calls the casting of David Jonsson as the new Prince T'Challa in Black Panther 3 "beautiful," noting their personal connection and her excitement to return alongside Winston Duke for the 2028 sequel.
- Kevin Feige says Ryan Coogler chose Jonsson after a secret meeting months ago, declaring "he is the next Black Panther" and convincing Marvel to lock in the role before an official search even began.
- Wright frames the casting as the next step in Shuri's evolution from Black Panther to mentor, with her arc continuing in Avengers: Doomsday before she guides her nephew Prince T'Challa II in Black Panther 3, while Jonsson says he’s honored to inherit the franchise’s legacy.
The next chapter of Black Panther has officially begun—and Letitia Wright couldn't be happier about who's leading it. After Marvel Studios shocked fans at San Diego Comic-Con by revealing David Jonsson as the new Prince T'Challa in Black Panther 3, Wright called the casting "beautiful," while Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed the actor's journey to Wakanda began with a secret meeting months earlier.
Speaking moments after Marvel's Hall H presentation, Wright said Jonsson's casting felt especially meaningful because of their personal bond. "The news was really beautiful to hear because I have a personal connection to David," she told Entertainment Weekly. "To see the full circle of that today, I'm still living in it. We're both still checking in with each other about it."
Wright and Winston Duke will both return for Black Panther 3, which follows Prince T'Challa II—the son of Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa and Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia—as he grows into the Black Panther mantle ahead of the film's Dec. 15, 2028 release.
The public reveal may have happened at Comic-Con, but Marvel had been keeping the casting under wraps for nearly half a year. According to Kevin Feige, Ryan Coogler found his leading man before Marvel had even launched an official search.
After watching Jonsson's work, the filmmaker arranged what Feige described as "a secret meeting...under cloak of darkness in a hotel somewhere." When it ended, Coogler called with complete certainty. "He's the guy, he's the guy," Feige recalled him saying, according to Variety. "I felt it in my soul. He's a good man, and he is the next Black Panther."
Feige said the conversation immediately struck a chord. "I got chills, and I got a little welled-up and said, 'Let's do it.'"
For Wright, the casting also marks the next step in Shuri's evolution. After stepping into the Black Panther role following Boseman's death in 2020, her character is now preparing to guide the next generation of Wakandan leadership. "She now has that mantle to pass on, and [that] guidance and the wisdom," Wright said before adding with a laugh, "I'm going to have a really, really good time...and I'm going to pick on him so much."
Before audiences see that mentorship play out in Black Panther 3, they'll reunite with Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday. Wright said the film shows a hero who has fully embraced her role after the events of Wakanda Forever. "We see her growth, we see her fully in this position as Black Panther, but also just as a renewed woman, and powerful and strong," she said, describing Shuri as someone ready to become "a source of wisdom" for her young nephew.
Marvel's decision also brings the franchise full circle. The original Black Panther became a cultural landmark when it debuted in 2018, earning more than $1.3 billion worldwide and becoming the first superhero movie nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Wakanda Forever closed by revealing that T'Challa had a young son, quietly setting the stage for the character's eventual return. Jonsson, who broke out in Industry before earning acclaim in Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk, now inherits that legacy.
Visibly emotional after the announcement, Jonsson thanked Coogler, Feige, and the cast for welcoming him into the Marvel family. "It's a privilege and blessing to join," he said. "I don't want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking."
