Kevin Feige Reveals Ryan Coogler Secretly Met With David Jonsson Months Ago for BLACK PANTHER 3: “I Got Chills”

There were plenty of huge reveals during Marvel Studios' Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, but one of the biggest surprises was the announcement that David Jonssonwill step into the role of the next Black Panther in Black Panther 3.

It's an exciting direction for the franchise, and now Marvel Studios president Kevin Feigehas shared the incredible story of how it all came together.

As it turns out, Jonsson wasn't discovered through a lengthy casting search. According to Feige, Ryan Coogleralready knew exactly who he wanted, and he knew it long before Marvel officially started looking.

Speaking with Empire, Feige explained that the studio hadn't even begun the casting process because Coogler was completely focused on finishing Sinners.

“We hadn’t started a search yet,” Feige explained. “Ryan was working on Sinners, and when Ryan works on a project he’s all in. So the presumption very much was we would sit with him after Sinners came out, after the Academy campaign. We were waiting ’til after the Academy Awards to sit with Ryan and begin that process.”

Then, completely out of nowhere, Coogler called him with some unexpected news.

“A month and a half or so before that process, he called me and said, ‘I found him’. I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He goes, ‘I found him. He’s this guy, David Jonsson.’ He mentioned his movies. I had seen some of them. I watched more.

‘He goes, ‘I’m going to meet him.’ He had a secret meeting with him under cloak of darkness in a hotel somewhere, and called me afterwards and said, ‘He’s the guy, he’s the guy, I felt it. I felt it in my soul.

“He’s a good man, and he is the next Black Panther.’ And I got chills, and I got a little welled-up and said, ‘Let’s do it’. So we’ve been sitting on this secret for a good five or six months.”

That's a cool story, it says a lot about how much Coogler trusts his instincts. Instead of waiting for auditions and callbacks, he saw something in Jonsson's work, met with him privately, and walked away completely convinced he'd found the future of one of Marvel's most important heroes.

It's also hard not to get excited about Jonsson taking on the mantle. He's been building an impressive résumé over the last few years, consistently delivering memorable performances, and he has the kind of presence that feels right for a character as iconic as Black Panther.

It's the kind of casting choice that feels fresh while still making perfect sense once you hear it. If Coogler felt it "in his soul," that's a pretty incredible endorsement.

Marvel confirmed during its Hall H panel that Jonsson will portray T'Challa's son, Prince T'Challa II, in Black Panther 3, with the story following him as he grows into the role of Wakanda's protector and embraces the Black Panther legacy. The film is set to arrive in theaters on December 15, 2028.

Returning for the sequel are Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, continuing the story that evolved after the heartbreaking loss of Chadwick Boseman, who passed away from colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43.

Wright carried the mantle of Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, honoring Boseman's legacy while moving the franchise into its next chapter.

Now, Black Panther 3 looks ready to introduce a new generation of Wakanda. Jonsson feels like inspired casting, and with Coogler once again leading the creative charge, there's every reason to believe this next chapter is going to be something special.

Watching Prince T'Challa II grow into the hero his father inspired has the potential to be an emotional and thrilling evolution for the franchise, and I can't wait to see what Jonsson brings to the character.