British actor David Jonsson revealed as the new Black Panther in surprise Comic-Con announcement

Black Panther is back, with a British star set to take over the superhero mantle. As revealed in a shock announcement at Comic-Con in San Diego on Saturday (25 July), David Jonsson has been cast as the new franchise lead in its highly anticipated third entry. The 32-year-old will be playing the son of T’Challa, the noble king of Wakanda potrayed by Chadwick Boseman who died aged 43 in 2020, four years into a cancer diagnosis that he kept private.

“I want you to give a warm welcome to our new Black Panther: Mr David Jonsson,” said Coogler on stage, welcoming the actor on stage to cheers from the crowd. “Thank you Ryan. Thank you Kevin.

Thank you to this amazing family that I have the honour and privilege and the blessing to join,” said Jonsson. The London-born actor rose to fame playing Gus Sackey on HBO’s hit show Industry before earning acclaim for his performance in the 2023 romantic-comedy Rye Lane. More recently, he starred in the 2024 science fiction franchise film Alien: Romulus and the 2025 adaptation of Stephen King’s thriller The Long Walk.

That same year, he also won the Bafta Rising Star Award. Black Panther 3 will follow Jonsson’s character Prince T’Challa II after the character was introduced as a child in the 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. open image in galleryLetitia Wright, Winston Duke, and David Jonsson speak onstage during the 2026 Comic-Con International: San Diego (Getty)Ryan Coogler – who earlier this year won the Oscar for Best Picture with his vampire film Sinners – will return once again for the third outing.

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo.

after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT.

If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only.

£9.99/mo. after free trial.

Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission.

This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Leticia Wright will also reprise her role as Shuri, the genius lead scientist and younger sister of T’Challa, with Winston Duke returning as M’Baku, the newly anointed King of Wakanda. Black Panther 3 will be released in cinemas on 15 December 2028.

open image in galleryBritish actor David Jonsson poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London, on February 16, 2025 (AFP/Getty)Released in 2018, the first Black Panther film – based on the Marvel Comics of the same name – was a huge hit, taking in $1.3bn at the worldwide box office. As T’Challa, Boseman became the first Black superhero in a major movie and an icon to millions the world over.

The film, which also starred Forrest Whittaker, Michael B Jordan, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, and Lupita Nyong’o, took home three of its seven Oscar nominations. open image in galleryMichael B Jordan and Chadwick Boseman in ‘Black Panther’ (Marvel Studios/Disney)Following the death of Boseman in 2020, the decision was made not to recast his character. Explaining their decision, Marvel boss Kevin Feige said at the time that the actor’s performance was “iconic and transcends any iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past”.

“To honour the legacy that Chad helped us build, we want to continue to explore the world of Wakanda and all the rich and varied characters introduced in the first film,” Feige said. Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments