Black Panther 3: release date, confirmed cast, and everything else we know about the Marvel Phase 7 movie so far

Black Panther 3 is already primed to round out Marvel's 2028 line-up on the big screen. Indeed, with its launch set for December 2028, we know it'll be one of three movies that the comic book giant will release in just over two years' time.

So, what do we know so far about our next trip to Wakanda? Below, I've rounded up the biggest and latest information on the forthcoming Marvel film, including its official release date, confirmed cast, and more. Let's dive in together, then — altogether now: Yibambe!

Black Panther 3 release date

Black Panther 3 is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters worldwide on December 15, 2028. That launch date was revealed during Marvel's Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2026 in late July.

There's no word on when filming might begin, nor how much of its script has been written. However, it's highly unlikely that the cameras will begin to roll until principal photography has wrapped on Avengers: Secret Wars, aka the final film of the Marvel Multiverse Saga.

The reason? Some of Black Panther 3's confirmed cast (more on them shortly) will appear in the sixth Avengers movie, so it won't enter full production until they're available to shoot it.

Black Panther 3 trailer: is there one?

No — and it's going to be a long time until a teaser for the next Black Panther movie is publicly released.

If I had to guess, I expect its first trailer will be unveiled at SDCC 2028. That's a good 18 months away, so don't expect me to update this article section for some time yet.

Black Panther 3 confirmed cast

Per Marvel.com, here's the confirmed cast so far:

• David Jonsson as T'Challa II
• Letitia Wright as Shuri
• Winston Duke as M'Baku

Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk) was officially announced as T'Challa II — FYI, his legal name is Toussaint — at SDCC 2026.

We first met T'Challa's son in the final scene of 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it was unclear if he'd ever succeed his father and become the technologically-advanced African nation's new protector-in-chief.

Indeed, speaking exclusively to TechRadar in February 2025, Black Panther producer Nate Moore suggested that the eponymous hero wouldn't be played by a third actor. The first two being, of course, the late Chadwick Boseman, who played T'Challa before his passing in August 2021, and Letitia Wright, whose Marvel character Shuri assumed the mantle in Wakanda Forever.

Now, though, we know that Jonsson will play the grown-up version of T'Challa II. Chatting to Empire magazine, Marvel President Kevin Feige revealed Jonsson was cast after a secret meeting in February, so Moore wasn't pulling the wool over our eyes 12 months earlier.

Meanwhile, Wright told Entertainment Weekly that she's happy for Jonsson to take ownership of the role, although there's no word on whether Shuri will have passed the torch by the start of this movie, or whether it'll happen as part of its plot.

Jonsson won't be the only Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debutant in Black Panther 3.

Speaking on The Today Show in late 2025, multi-award-winning actor Denzel Washington dropped the bombshell that he'll appear in the threequel. Per Variety, Washington personally called director Ryan Coogler to apologize for jumping the gun on that announcement, but everything's been smoothed over now. Indeed, Coogler doubled-down on Washington's casting during a chat with people.com, though he declined to reveal the identity of who the A-lister would play.

As for other stars who might feature, it's possible that Danai Gurira might as Okoye, the former head of Wakanda's Dora Milaje. Lupita Nyongo'o could be back as Nakia, aka T'Challa II's mom, too. Until Marvel announces their returns, I'll keep them off the confirmed cast list.

Black Panther 3 plot rumors

Predictably, there are no story details for Black Panther 3. Marvel is fully focused on Avengers: Doomsday, which arrives in cinemas this December, and its Secret Wars sequel, which comes out in December 2027. With the MCU's future being dictated by what happens in these films, we won't have any concrete information about Black Panther 3's plot until the Multiverse Saga has drawn to a close.

That said, there are a couple of thing we can speculate on.

For starters, if T'Challa II adopts the Black Panther mantle and also plans on ruling Wakanda, M'Baku — aka the leader of the Jabari Tribe and African nation's current monarch — would need to step aside. Will he do so willingly, or will T'Challa II have to duel him in ritual combat for that honor?

Then, as I mentioned earlier, it'll be interesting to see if T'Challa II is already the new Black Panther by the time that this Marvel Phase 7 movie starts. The alternative is that he'll replace Shuri at some point during its runtime, which might be a better way of introducing T'Challa II to audiences and giving him a traditional hero's journey to embark on before he becomes the Black Panther's latest custodian.

On top of all that, we'll eventually learn if Washington's character is an ally or enemy of Wakanda's aristocracy, and what role the fictional kingdom will play in version 2.0 of the MCU (I'll circle back round to this in a moment). Furthermore, we should find out whether Boseman's legacy as T'Challa and untimely death will loom as large over proceedings as it did in Wakanda Forever. Once more has been discussed by those involved in this movie's production, I'll update this section.

How will Black Panther 3 impact the MCU?

In short: nobody knows. As I said earlier, we've got to get through Doomsday and Secret Wars before we know what version 2.0 of the MCU will look like. Once we do, we'll have a better understanding of how Black Panther and Wakanda fit into Marvel's streamlined cinematic universe.

While we wait, find out everything we know so far about Avengers: Doomsday and then get the full lowdown on Avengers: Secret Wars.

Once you're done, learn all there is to know about VisionQuest, before getting the complete scoop on Daredevil: Born Again season 3 before both projects hit Disney+.

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