David Jonsson Is the New Black Panther

TL;DR — David Jonsson has been announced as the new Black Panther, playing Toussaint, T'Challa's son, in Black Panther III, releasing December 15, 2028. The reveal came at Marvel's Comic-Con panel on July 25, 2026 — the same event where Ryan Gosling was confirmed as Ghost Rider. Ryan Coogler returns to direct, with Letitia Wright and Winston Duke also returning.

Who is David Jonsson, and why was he cast as Black Panther?

David Jonsson is a British actor best known for the BBC/HBO series Industry, the romantic comedy Rye Lane, and roles in Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk. He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2025 and was named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.

The process behind the casting is worth noting on its own. According to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, Jonsson met with director Ryan Coogler in a private meeting before the casting was finalised — a deliberate, personal conversation rather than a standard audition or a chemistry read against a shortlist. For a role this size, that is unusual, and it lines up with how Coogler cast the first film: a small number of specific actors he wanted, rather than a wide search.

Which Black Panther character is Jonsson playing?

Jonsson will play Toussaint, T'Challa's son. Toussaint was introduced in the closing scene of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, when Nakia brought him to meet Shuri in Haiti and he explained that his Wakandan name is T'Challa — a quiet reveal that the bloodline, and the name, had continued off-screen the entire film.

That scene has sat unresolved for four years. Black Panther III is the film that picks it up, which means the mantle stays inside the same family rather than passing sideways to an unrelated successor.

Why didn't Marvel simply recast T'Challa?

This is the decision underneath the casting, and it has been consistent since 2020. After Chadwick Boseman's death, Marvel said publicly it would not recast the role, and Wakanda Forever was rewritten to address his absence in the story rather than replace him in it. Casting Jonsson as Toussaint honours that position: the franchise gets a Black Panther again without asking an actor to step into Boseman's performance.

It also solves a narrative problem. A recast T'Challa would invite direct comparison in every scene. A son who is visibly not his father — younger, raised outside Wakanda, and carrying a name he has to grow into — gives the story somewhere to go that the first two films did not.

When was this announced, and when does the film release?

The announcement came during Marvel's Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2026, with Coogler confirming the casting alongside returning stars Letitia Wright and Winston Duke. Black Panther III is set for release on December 15, 2028 — a December slot, which is where both previous Black Panther films' sequel positioning and Marvel's prestige-tier releases have tended to land.

Is Ryan Coogler directing Black Panther III?

Yes. Coogler returns for the third film, having directed both prior entries. He is the only director the franchise has had, which matters more here than it would elsewhere — the visual language of Wakanda, the score's use of talking drum and fula flute, and the series' habit of framing succession as a political question rather than a superhero one are all his.

Who else is returning?

• Letitia Wright as Shuri, who ended Wakanda Forever holding the mantle herself.
• Winston Duke as M'Baku, left as the challenger for the throne in that film's final act.
• Ryan Coogler directing.

Wright's return is the one that shapes the plot most. Shuri is the current Black Panther in continuity, so a film introducing Toussaint as the next one has to explain how, and why, that hand-off happens.

What Jonsson's earlier work suggests about the performance

If you want a sense of what he'll bring, Industry is the most useful reference. His Gus Sackey is a controlled, watchful character who does most of his acting in the pauses — not the register you would predict for a superhero lead, and closer to Boseman's own restraint than a more conventionally physical casting would have been. Rye Lane shows the lighter, warmer end of his range, and Alien: Romulus proves he can carry scenes inside a large-scale effects production without getting flattened by it.

None of that is a guarantee. It does suggest Marvel cast for interiority rather than for size, which is a meaningful signal about the kind of film this is likely to be.

What hasn't been confirmed yet

• No plot synopsis or title beyond Black Panther III has been released.
• No word on whether Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o, or other Wakanda Forever cast members return.
• No filming start date, and no antagonist casting.
• No confirmation of whether Toussaint appears in an Avengers film before the 2028 solo release.

Why is this casting getting so much attention?

Three reasons beyond ordinary Marvel news. First, it resolves a four-year open question about how the franchise continues, and it does so by moving a generation forward instead of replacing what Boseman created. Second, it landed at the same Comic-Con panel where Ryan Gosling was revealed as Ghost Rider, making it one of the densest single days of Marvel casting news in years. Third, Jonsson is a comparatively under-the-radar actor stepping into one of the highest-profile roles in the studio's slate, which sends people straight back to his earlier work.

Frequently asked questions

Is David Jonsson playing T'Challa, or a different character? He's playing Toussaint, T'Challa's son, who takes up the Black Panther mantle as the next generation of the character. Marvel is not recasting T'Challa himself.

When does Black Panther III come out? December 15, 2028.

Who else is confirmed for Black Panther III? Letitia Wright and Winston Duke are confirmed to return, alongside director Ryan Coogler.

What else has David Jonsson been in? Industry (BBC/HBO), Rye Lane, Alien: Romulus, and The Long Walk. He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2025.

Where was Toussaint introduced? In the closing scene of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), where Nakia introduces him to Shuri in Haiti and he explains that his Wakandan name is T'Challa.

Looking for something to watch before 2028?

Two and a half years is a long wait. If you want something in the superhero or ensemble-drama space tonight, our movie recommendation quiz matches on mood rather than genre, and our guide to picking a movie for tonight is built for the evenings when nothing on the home screen looks right.