Ryan Coogler and Denzel Washington’s ‘Black Panther 3’ Gets an Impressive Update After Other MCU Projects Take a Backseat

The MCU fans might have to wait a bit before they see new superhero movies on the big screen. The next Marvel movie scheduled is “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” coming out on July 31, followed by “Doomsday” in December this year.

After that, there won’t be another Marvel movie until “Avengers: Secret Wars” hits theaters in December 2027. With superhero movies cooling down across the industry, Marvel isn’t rushing to release the long-planned “Blade” reboot or a new “Deadpool” movie just yet, sources say.

But there is some good news: Marvel is excited about a new “Black Panther 3” movie, which will be directed by Ryan Coogler.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Ryan Coogler is officially working on the next Black Panther film during a recent press event for the upcoming “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Feige mentioned that Coogler is focused on the project and teased that they already know where the film will fit in the Marvel timeline, although no release date has been set.

Feige joked, “We know [when on the timeline it is], and if he’s telling you he doesn’t, that’s perfect.”

Talks about a third Black Panther movie actually started quite a while ago. Back in November 2022, Coogler and Feige were already discussing the possibility. Then, in January 2023, Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri, said the cast needed a break before jumping back into filming. Wright explained that they needed some time to “regroup” before starting again.

Rumors about Denzel Washington joining the cast began circulating near the end of 2024. Reports said Coogler had serious talks with Washington about a role in the movie. Coogler confirmed these rumors in June 2025 during an interview with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. He said, “I’m dying to work with Denzel and I’m hoping we can make that happen.” He added, “I got every intention of working with him in that movie and as long as he’s interested — it’s going to happen.”

Coogler praised Washington as a “living legend and a great mentor,” adding, “He’s all about looking out for us.”

There have also been rumors about Marvel recasting the role of T’Challa, but Nate Moore, Marvel’s VP of Production & Development, recently addressed that. Moore said there are no plans to recast T’Challa right now. He explained that serious talks about the next Black Panther movie haven’t even started because Coogler was busy with Sinners at the time. Moore didn’t rule out the possibility of recasting in the future, but at that point, no decisions have been made.

Moore announced that he would leave Marvel Studios in March 2025 to work as an independent producer but confirmed that he will still help produce Black Panther 3 alongside Marvel Studios.

So, fans can relax and look forward to Black Panther 3, knowing that Marvel and Coogler are taking their time to make sure the movie is done right.

Marvel has also set July 23, 2027, as the release date for an unnamed movie, but sources say it won’t be an X-Men film. Black Panther 3 is one of the top contenders rumored to fill that release spot, along with possible sequels like Shang-Chi 2 and Doctor Strange 3.

Reports from insiders, as first revealed by Variety.

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