From playing Gus Sackey in HBO’s financial drama Industry (2020 – 2022) to Dom in Raine Allen-Miller’s romantic comedy Rye Lane (2023) and then Peter McVries in Francis Lawrence 2025’s survival thriller The Long Walk, David Jonsson is remarkably versatile. Since his career took off in 2016, he has demonstrated his impressive range on stage and onscreen with roles in assorted genres. As the new Black Panther, he’s poised to gain greater recognition that consolidates his ascending career.
Ryan Coogler unveiled the new Black Panther at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2026, confirming that Black Panther 3 is scheduled to hit the theaters on Decmber 15, 2028. With David Jonsson as T’Challa’s grown son, the third entry will have the English actor perform alongside Denzel Washington in a tale revolving around the Wakanda crown. Jonsson has described snagging the role as an honor and privilege, but here are fun facts that prove he’s fit and qualified to take on the challenging role.
He Is A Classically Trained Actor
@marvel David Jonsson is your new Black Panther. Black Panther 3, directed by Ryan Coogler, arrives in theaters December 15, 2028. #SDCC #BlackPanther
David Jonsson is well-equipped and skilled to embody the presence fans anticipate from T’Challa’s son. After realising he was interested in acting, Jonsson began performing in school plays. Soon after, he bagged a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he spent two years. He returned to the UK and joined the National Youth Theatre. Agents came calling to kickstart his professional journey, but Jonsson opted to polish his craft at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He graduated from the institution in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting, acquiring the proficiency to take on high-profile roles.
In addition to his acting training, David Jonsson has garnered years of experience performing on stage and for the screen. As Luke Fitzwilliam in Murder Is Easy, he made history as the first black lead actor in BBC’s habitual Agatha Christie adaptation. For his performance in Almeida Theatre’s and breath…, he won the Black British Theatre Award for Best Male Actor in a Play. Movies like Wasteman, Rye Lane, The Long Walk, and Alien: Romulus also earned him coveted nods, paving the way for him to win the EE Rising Star Award at the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards.
David Jonsson Has The Range Needed For The Role
@jointhelongwalk he can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk? #davidjonsson #thelongwalk #stephenking #horrortok
Being the new Black Panther isn’t an easy task. Given the many layers needed, the role is arguably harder than ever. As such, it requires a genuine talent that honors Chadwick Boseman‘s embodiment of the character while learning from Letitia Wright’s Shuri before fully taking on the Black Panther mantle to lead Wakanda. Over the years, David Jonsson has proved he has the emotional range to capture the anticipated complexity of being T’Challa’s grown son and fully realise the role.
Whether he’s playing the ambitious and openly gay graduate in Industry or the charming, kind, and self-assured walker in The Long Walk, Jonsson has demonstrated he has the range to ensure Black Panther’s depth and development in the third film. Stepping onto the stage after Coogler introduced him, the actor promised to bring his best to the role. “I want to say thank you so much,” he said to the cheering crowd. “Thank you Ryan; thank you Kevin [Feige]. Thank you to this amazing family that I have the honor and the privilege and the blessing to join. I actually don’t want to say much because I want to let the screen do the talking,” he added.
Ryan Coogler Is Convinced He’s The Best Man For The Role
@marvel Presenting your new BlackPanther, David Jonsson. Black Panther 3, directed by Ryan Coogler, arrives in theaters December 15, 2028. #SDCC
Coogler’s sound judgment ensured that Black Panther’s acclaim didn’t dissipate with the second entry. After Boseman died from colon cancer in August 2020, it was hard to imagine a sequel without the lead actor. Fans railed against the decision to kill off his character, with over 60,000 signatures to a petition on change.org, calling on Coogler and Marvel executives to recast the role in honor of the late actor.
The director stuck to his guns, opting to have Wright take over the Black Panther mantle in Wakanda Forever. This proved to be the right call as the movie paid tribute to Boseman while setting up the franchise’s future. So, the director’s convictions about Daniel Jonsson are valuable insight on the young actor’s suitability for the role.
Recalling how Jonsson landed the role, Marvel’s boss told Empire that Coogler found Jonsson before they officially began searching for performers to take up the role. “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,” Feige narrated. Check out Lox Pratt, the actor behind Lord of the Flies’ antagonist.
Follow Us
