It's no secret that filmmaker Ryan Coogler is hard at work on Black Panther 3's screenplay, with a recent report suggesting his ideas for the threequel are generating excitement among Marvel Studios executives.
Now, it appears the movie will kick off the next Saga of storytelling after Avengers: Secret Wars concludes the Multiverse Saga in December 2027.
According to Jeff Sneider on The Hot Mic, "Black Panther 3, that’s February 2028. That’s going to start production at the top of 2027. And that will be in theaters February 2028." Marvel Studios has scheduled an untitled MCU movie for February 18, 2028.
We have good reason to believe that the plan is to reintroduce T'Challa after Shuri took his place in 2021's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Whether that's an adult version of Toussaint, a.k.a. Prince T'Challa II, or simply a new version of Black Panther who returns with a different face in the post-Secret Wars timeline, remains to be seen.
Black Panther found great success in theaters in February 2018, and establishing the overhauled MCU by putting the spotlight on the next character to hold the mantle makes sense on multiple levels.
Late last year, Denzel Washington revealed Ryan Coogler had cast him in Black Panther 3. While nothing has been confirmed, Achebe and Magneto are among the names we've since heard from scoopers claiming to know who the screen icon will play in the MCU threequel.
The Black Panther franchise has never struggled to attract top-tier talent, but someone like Washington joining a comic book franchise is a huge deal and could be a game-changer for Marvel Studios as a whole.
Doing the rounds to promote Sinners a few months ago, Coogler was asked about Washington's comments and said, "I’m dying to work with Denzel and I’m hoping we can make that happen. I got every intention of working with him in that movie and as long as he’s interested - it’s going to happen," he confirmed.
The filmmaker made a point of praising the The Equalizer star by calling him a "living legend and a great mentor," adding, "He's all about looking out for us." As we're sure you recall, Washington played a huge role in Chadwick Boseman's early career.
When Phylicia Rashad was mentoring the late actor while teaching at Howard University, Boseman was accepted into the British American Drama Academy's Midsummer program but couldn't afford to take part. She made a call to Washington, and he agreed to foot the bill.
F1: The Movie star Damson Idris is rumoured to be a top contender to play the next Black Panther, and he may suit up as soon as one of the next Avengers movies.
Stay tuned for updates on Black Panther 3 as we have them.