Black Panther 3 May Come Sooner Than We Think
It’s “Wakanda Forever,” not “Wakanda For Two Movies.”
Earlier this year, Ryan Coogler proved that there’s still room for original stories in Hollywood with Sinners, the Prohibition-era horror movie that revitalized the classic vampire story. Coogler had earned the chance to make Sinners by directing two of the most popular movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Black Panther and its sequel, Wakanda Forever. Sinners even had an MCU tie-in, as some of its costumes were actually created for Marvel’s indefinitely delayed Blade film, remnants of its abandoned period setting.
With his original creation in the books, Coogler is returning to Marvel for another franchise project, and a new quote from the director reveals that his next MCU film is happening sooner than we thought.
While speaking on a panel hosted by Deadline, Ryan Coogler revealed that his next project is Black Panther 3, saying, “We’re working on it hard.” We still don’t know much about this new movie, but there are some assumptions we can make. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever established Shuri as the new Black Panther, so it’s likely the third movie would continue to follow her. Its post-credits scene did introduce Prince T’Challa, the son of T’Challa and Nakia, but assuming that there isn’t a big time skip between Wakanda Forever and this third movie, he’s probably more worried about elementary school than taking on his father’s legacy.
Shuri took on the Black Panther title in Wakanda Forever.
We do know one exciting tidbit about Black Panther 3, however. Back in November 2024, Denzel Washington revealed that Ryan Coogler was writing a role in Black Panther 3 specifically for him, and it’s likely going to be one of his final acting roles before he retires. “Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther,” Washington told Australian TV show Today. “After that, I’m going to do the film Othello. After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire.”
Black Panther has become one of the MCU’s flagship series, with the two films raking in cash and being the only Marvel movies to win Oscars. There’s no telling how many more we’ll see, but if this turns out to be the final movie in a trilogy, it’s likely to go out with a bang.
