Ryan Coogler Says ‘Black Panther 3’ is His Next Movie

The director, who took a break from franchise films to craft original horror thriller ‘Sinners,’ has said he’s ready to return to Wakanda again.

(Left) Ryan Coogler arrive at the 14th Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. (Right) Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther in 2018's 'Black Panther.' Photo: Marvel Studios.

Preview:

Ryan Coogler has confirmed he’ll direct ‘Black Panther 3’ as his next movie.
The story is being kept secret.
Denzel Washington reportedly has a role.

Having taken a break from his stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make something original via ‘Sinners,’ writer/director Ryan Coogler has confirmed he’s ready to return to the world of Wakanda.

Coogler, who has so far brought us the hugely successful first movie 2018, 2022 follow-up ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ plus TV spin-offs ‘Ironheart’ and ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ has said for a while he’d return to the MCU once he’d been able to creatively recharge, and ‘Sinners’ provided that opportunity.

Now on the awards press circuit for his latest, Coogler told the audience at a recent Deadline event that he’s officially developing his new ‘Panther’ offering:

“If it was anybody but you, I would say, ‘I can neither confirm or deny.’ But we’re working on it hard. … Yeah, it’s the next movie.”

What’s the story of ‘Black Panther 3’?

'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' director Ryan Coogler.

Coogler didn’t so much as hint at anything that the new movie might cover. But there are hints all over ‘Wakanda Forever,’ including Letitia Wright’s Shuri taking over the Black Panther duties following the death of T’Challa (a plot move that also followed the tragic real-life death of actor Chadwick Boseman).

We may see a time jump to see T’Challa’s son take on the mantle, but whatever Coogler has up his sleeve, we trust him to deliver something spectacular and emotional.

Will Denzel Washington be in ‘Black Panther 3’?

Denzel Washington attends Netflix's 'The Piano Lesson' LA premiere at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on November 19, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images for Netflix.

According to the actor, who commented a while ago that Coogler was writing him a role in the movie, that’s a yes!

This was his comment last year:

“At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best, I don’t know how many more films I will make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done. I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’ ”

Will it turn out to be true? We’ll have to wait and see, but the idea of Washington showing up as a new antagonist (or, indeed anything he wants to do) is certainly one to ponder.

When will ‘Black Panther 3’ be in theaters?

With Coogler still in development on the movie and Disney/Marvel’s release schedule full for the next couple of years, we wouldn’t expect it much before early 2028. And let's be honest: don't you want Coogler to have all the time he needs to make the next movie great?