Black Panther has been a beloved comic book hero for decades, and when he entered the MCU, played by Chadwick Boseman, he only became all the more celebrated. Boseman first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, which came out in 2016, but just two years later, he had his own standalone movie, Black Panther, which continues to be seen as one of the MCU’s best movies to date. In the time that followed, Boseman had two other MCU appearances, in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but he sadly passed away in 2020. Following his tragic death, Shuri took up the mantle as Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and although audiences were heartbroken over this loss, they welcomed Shuri’s Black Panther with open arms too.
Now, this heroic title is changing hands once again. As confirmed during the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic Con, King T’Challa’s son, Prince T’Challa, has been recast, and he will be played by David Jonsson in the 2028 movie Black Panther 3. Additionally confirmed is the fact that Prince T’Challa will be stepping into his father’s (and aunt’s) shoes as the new Black Panther. Already, support has poured in from other MCU stars, including Shuri actress Letitia Wright, M’Baku actor Winston Duke, and many others. Adding to the list of supporters is one name that audiences might not know as well, but she’s absolutely an MCU secret weapon.
Marvel Casting Director Sarah Finn Showed Full Support for Jonsson
While the stars of movies typically get the most attention when it comes to major franchises and blockbuster movies, considerable work goes into bringing these films to life behind the scenes, and one pivotal role (that is no doubt an all-too-often overlooked role as well) is that of the casting director. For Marvel, that includes Sarah Finn, and in a recent interview with Variety, she made it clear that she fully supports Jonsson in this new role as Black Panther. And, importantly, she understands the significance of this choice, too.
Finn said, “He has a lot of talent and a lot of heart. Obviously, these are very big shoes to fill…We needed somebody not only with the talent but with a certain presence and a certain spirit.” She also referred to Jonsson/Prince T’Challa as the “heir apparent,” perhaps nodding to what his plot will entail in Black Panther 3. After all, we’ve already seen that claiming the throne can be more complicated than simply being born into it in Wakanda.
In addition to these comments about Jonsson, Finn spoke about the choice to bring Ryan Gosling on as the MCU’s Ghost Rider, which was also revealed at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. About that casting decision, Finn said, “Ryan is very public about saying that he wanted to play this character, so there wasn’t a lot of heavy lifting…The reaction was beautiful to witness.” Ghost Rider, like Black Panther 3, is expected to hit theaters in 2028.