‘Black Panther 3’ Director Ryan Coogler Confirms MCU Sequel Is His “Next Movie”

After his successful run in the horror genre with the period vampire pic “Sinners,” Ryan Coolger has now publicly confirmed that his gestating “Black Panther 3” (first accidentally revealed by potential casting addition Denzel Washington) is going to be his next big feature film attempt.

He revealed the sequel’s update during a Deadline Contenders panel over the weekend, “I would say…we’re working on it hard…Yes, it’s the next movie.” There had been a little confusion given Coogler’s current work on his “X-Files” series revival, that it could hinder or delay “Black Panther 3,” but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

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Thankfully, Coogler has been able to etch out his own corner in the MCU thanks to his two “Black Panther” installments, alongside producing spinoff TV projects for Marvel such as “Ironheart” and “Eyes of Wakanda” (which added a new Iron Fist to the MCU canon) In the last “Panther” pic, we saw Shuri take on the mantle from her late brother, M’Baku take over royal responsibilities, and the introduction of the MCU version of Marvel’s first mutant hero, Namor, aka The Submariner.

Given that actors Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Tenoch Huerta will be featured among the heap of people showing up in The Russo Brothers‘ “Avengers: Doomsday,” it is a little unclear what the direction is for “Black Panther 3” or who exactly Washington could end up playing (friend or foe?). There is also “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Avengers: Secret Wars,” and the “X-Men” reboot on deck, as we imagine those upcoming event films could have a narrative impact on what happens next in the “Panther” saga (in the comics, Wakanda expands its interests into the cosmos and we see them on multiple different planets as part of their Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda).

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The big stinger at the end of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is the reveal that T’Challa had a secret son, who may end up coming into play as well, along with the internet a-buzz about “F1” actor Damson Idris potentially suiting up as a variant or whatever after some persistent casting speculation was amped-up when he recently posed with Angela Bassett (earned a Best Supporting Actress nomation for the sequel) at the Vogue World event while she was wearing her Queen Ramonda costume.

Stay tuned to learn more about what the ultimate plan is going to be with the third film.

Ryan Coogler confirms ‘Black Panther 3’ is his next film #DeadlineContenders pic.twitter.com/15OH9hpMPY

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) November 15, 2025