It's been quite the day for Marvel Studios. Heck, factor in those two game-changing episodes of Daredevil: Born Again and we can say it's been quite the week for Marvel Studios - and that's just taking the past 24 hours into account.
The studio has been stunning fans with some jaw-dropping announcements regarding its next Avengers movie, with the cast of Avengers: Doomsday now confirmed. Well, the initial cast that is - as the Robert Downey Jr.-led film is set to change the game for the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse Saga, setting the stage for a showdown grander than anything else the franchise has tackled before. But even when the saga comes to a close with the 2027 sequel Avengers: Secret Wars, the story will continue.
Now, it sounds like we know what one of the first of those continuing stories will be, as Marvel Studios is reportedly setting things in motion for a sequel we didn't think would happen at one point.
Black Panther 3 reportedly eyes a February 2028 release date
According to veteran industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios plans on releasing Black Panther 3 in February 2028. This would make it one of the first - if not the first - MCU movies to release after Avengers: Secret Wars, meaning that it will also be one of the first of the franchise's next saga.
Given that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige alluded to the fact that the next chapter in the MCU's story will be the "Mutants Era", this tracks. Although the Black Panther movies are a major part of the franchise's previous and current chapters, the second installment Wakanda Forever introduced the world's first mutant in Namor, so it's quite possible that the next one could open the gateway for more mutants too. We also now know that Namor will return in Avengers: Doomsday, so the Sub-Mariner's story in the MCU is far from over, suggesting that he could return in the upcoming Black Panther sequel too.
Wakanda Forever was a pivotal moment for not just the Black Panther movie series but for the MCU in general, as it featured the arrival of a new Black Panther. A tribute to the late great Chadwick Boseman, who starred in the first movie and sadly passed away in 2020, it saw his family honor his legacy by having Shuri, the sister of his character T'Challa, take on the mantle and become the new Black Panther.
We also know that Shuri will return in Avengers: Doomsday as that has been rumored for some time (and now officially confirmed), but it's good to know that the character will be taking us back to the beauty of Wakanda after the Multiverse Saga concludes.
After much uncertainty, recent reports have confirmed that Black Panther 3 is happening
This report is just the most recent in a consistent string of updates about Black Panther 3, suggesting that Marvel has indeed focused on making it happen. For a while there, there had been some uncertainty about whether another installment might happen, largely due to the fact that a number of recent MCU sequels had underperformed. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania failed to break even at the box office while The Marvels was the franchise's first and only box office flop, and that reportedly resulted in planned sequels to both being cancelled.
Although Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was very successful at the box office, it didn't reach the same heights of its billion-dollar predecessor, grossing $859 million. In the years since its release, there hadn't been any updates about whether a third movie would happen. Director Ryan Coogler was always open to the idea of another film, but it had yet to be officially announced. That is, until recently.
Film icon Denzel Washington recently announced his plans to retire from acting in the near-future, but that one of the projects he would be working on first would be Black Panther 3. This accidentally confirmed that the film actually was happening, with Marvel Studios shortly afterwards confirming its existence too when it was announced that Marvel creative producer Nate Moore would be leaving the studio while staying on as a producer on the third film.
Hearing that the studio has a possible release window set down for the movie is an extremely promising sign too, because it suggests that it will be one of the first chapters in the MCU's next era. After all the uncertainty surrounding a number of projects like Armor Wars and Blade, and the apparent cancellation of other titles, it's good to hear that the studio seemingly has a plan for when Black Panther 3 could arrive.
It makes it one of the more tangible upcoming titles and suggests that we can look forward to seeing the wonderful world of Wakanda back on the silver screen in the near-future.