David Jonsson cast as grown son of T'Challa in new Black Panther film

Marvel has found its next Black Panther in David Jonsson, casting the British actor as T’Challa’s grown son and handing Ryan Coogler the job of carrying the franchise into a post-Chadwick Boseman era. The third film is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2028, and Coogler made the announcement at Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel during San Diego Comic-Con.

The casting places Jonsson at the center of one of Marvel’s most closely watched succession decisions. Chadwick Boseman died of colon cancer on Aug. 28, 2020, at age 43, and Marvel said after his death that Black Panther would not be recast immediately after Boseman’s passing, even as the character’s legacy was expected to continue. By making T’Challa’s son the new lead, Marvel is shifting the franchise from mourning to inheritance, while keeping Boseman’s role in the story intact.

Coogler will return to direct Black Panther 3, extending a creative partnership that has defined the series since its launch. Jonsson joined Coogler on stage in San Diego alongside Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, a public handoff that underscored the franchise’s effort to connect its original ensemble with a new lead generation. Marvel’s Comic-Con presentation also included another major casting reveal, with Ryan Gosling set to play Ghost Rider in a separate 2028 film.

Jonsson, born Sept. 4, 1993, in London, has built a profile across television and film with work in Industry, Rye Lane, Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk. That range makes him a notable choice for a role that will carry both commercial weight and cultural scrutiny, especially in a series that has long been read as a landmark for Black representation in blockbuster filmmaking.

The decision also signals how Marvel is managing audience expectations after Boseman’s death. Rather than returning to a straight recast of the original Black Panther, the studio is advancing the story through T’Challa’s son, a move that keeps the character’s lineage central while asking audiences to accept a new face in a role defined by loss, continuity and legacy.