Angela Bassett Gives Her Royal Blessing to David Jonsson’s New Black Panther
Few voices carry more weight in Wakanda than Angela Bassett’s, and her thoughts on David Jonsson as the next Black Panther have fans buzzing. Bassett played Queen Ramonda in both ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’, and her performance in the sequel made history as the first in a Marvel movie to earn an Oscar nomination.
The franchise has spent years carefully navigating the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020. Rather than recasting King T’Challa right away, Marvel honored his legacy in ‘Wakanda Forever’ by having Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, take up the mantle, while introducing T’Challa’s young son in the film’s mid-credits scene.
That setup finally paid off this summer. At San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, director Ryan Coogler took the Hall H stage alongside Kevin Feige and revealed that Jonsson will play an adult Prince T’Challa II, also known as Toussaint, in ‘Black Panther 3’, set for December 15, 2028.
Coogler told the crowd that the character would grow up and come of age in the new film. Jonsson, visibly emotional, told the audience he didn’t want to say too much because he wanted to let the screen do the talking, according to Euronews. Now Queen Ramonda herself has weighed in. Speaking on the red carpet for ‘American Horror Story: 13’, Bassett was asked about the casting and didn’t hold back her excitement.
“Ooh, come on with it! I cannot wait. I was so over the moon to hear that, as a fan. I know the fans were happy as well. It’s exciting!” Bassett told Screen Rant. When asked whether Jonsson has her approval, she simply replied, “Yes, he does!”
The comments quickly made the rounds online. Not every reply was as enthusiastic, though, with some fans questioning whether audiences who wanted the original T’Challa recast would truly be satisfied.
The Queen speaks! Does #AngelaBassett approve of #DavidJonsson as the #MCU's new #BlackPanther? And does she have any words of encouragement for him? 👑 pic.twitter.com/KCbcF18F63
— ScreenRant (@screenrant) September 24, 2026
The 32-year-old London-born actor trained at RADA and rose to fame as Gus Sackey on HBO’s ‘Industry’. He earned further acclaim for ‘Rye Lane’, ‘Alien: Romulus’, and last year’s Stephen King adaptation ‘The Long Walk’, according to Euronews.
His casting has drawn plenty of support from within the franchise. Wright told Entertainment Weekly she has a personal connection to Jonsson and was still living in the full-circle moment, while Winston Duke told Deadline he had assured his new co-star he’d be there to support him. MovieWeb reported that Boseman’s brother, Derrick, also embraced the casting.
The film will pick up from Toussaint’s introduction, when Nakia, played by Lupita Nyong’o, revealed him living a quiet life in Haiti away from the pressures of the Wakandan throne. Coogler also confirmed on stage that the sequel will be shot on large-format celluloid film.
Wright and Duke return as Shuri and M’Baku, and Euronews notes that Denzel Washington has previously confirmed he will appear. Production has yet to begin, which means details about the story and supporting cast are still scarce.
Screen Rant also pointed out that the film will need to explain how Toussaint grew up so quickly, since he was just a young child in ‘Wakanda Forever’. With ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ leading to what Feige has called an MCU reset, that event could offer a way to age up the character.
Bassett’s enthusiasm adds an extra layer of warmth to Marvel’s plans. As the franchise’s matriarch, her approval signals that Jonsson has the backing of the Wakandan family both on and off screen.
Are you excited to see David Jonsson take over as the new Black Panther in Black Panther 3?
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