Michael B. Jordan has weighed in on David Jonsson taking over the Black Panther mantle, telling Entertainment Tonight at Monday’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” premiere in Los Angeles that he’s thrilled about the casting. “Oh, I love it. It’s amazing! I can’t wait, can’t wait!” Jordan said.
Marvel Studios revealed Jonsson’s casting during its Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, where director Ryan Coogler introduced the 32-year-old British actor as T’Challa II, the grown son of the character originated by Chadwick Boseman. Studio president Kevin Feige and cast members Letitia Wright and Winston Duke joined Coogler onstage, and the crowd gave Jonsson an emotional welcome. “I don’t want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking,” Jonsson told the audience. “Black Panther 3” opens December 15, 2028, and will be shot entirely on 70mm film, a first for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Feige told Empire that Coogler identified Jonsson well before Marvel had formally opened a search, calling him privately and declaring, “He’s the guy, he’s the guy, I felt it in my soul.” The studio sat on the decision for roughly six months before announcing it. Wright, speaking separately to Entertainment Weekly, called the casting “really beautiful” and said she looks forward to playing mentor to Jonsson’s character the way Shuri now guides her nephew.
Jordan starred as Killmonger in Coogler’s 2018 “Black Panther” and its 2022 sequel, “Wakanda Forever,” and has not been confirmed for the new film. He remains a close Coogler collaborator, having won his first Oscar this year for the director’s “Sinners.” Jordan has repeatedly honored Boseman since the actor’s 2020 death from colon cancer, saying at February’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival that he still feels the loss “every time I think about it.”
Online reaction to Jonsson’s casting has split Marvel fans. Many praised his work in “Alien: Romulus,” “Industry” and “The Long Walk,” while others argued Marvel should have recast T’Challa directly rather than shifting focus to his son. Denzel Washington is also attached to the project in an undisclosed role written for him by Coogler.
