Black Panther 3 Officially Confirmed By Marvel Studios Exec After Denzel Washington Revealed A Role Was Being Written For Him

Marvel Studios officially announces Black Panther 3 just a few days after Denzel Washington spoiled his MCU role in the Black Panther threequel. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever faced a huge challenge with T'Challa's final farewell, but its overwhelmingly positive reviews and strong box office proved Ryan Coogler and his team exceeded expectations. With the MCU's tribute to Chadwick Boseman completed, the Black Panther franchise's next big question is which direction Black Panther 3 can take.

As confirmed by Deadline, long-time Marvel Studios executive Nate Moore will part ways with Marvel after Captain America: Brave New World's release in 2025. Marvel Studios' leading producers Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito praised Nate Moore's work, revealing that Moore will still work with Marvel in a different capacity on Black Panther 3 along the way. Read Feige and D'Esposito's comments below:

Nate is a fantastic executive and colleague as well as a wonderful friend to all of us here at Marvel Studios. He has been a core member of our team since 2010, and his influence will continue to reverberate in our storytelling. Although we’ll miss him a great deal, we look forward to watching what he does next while also having the good fortune of working with him in a new way on our next Black Panther movie.

Moore also weighed in on his exit. Having worked as a Marvel Studios executive since 2010, Moore has nothing but gratitude to Marvel. Moore also underlined his excitement about working in the MCU's upcoming Black Panther 3. Moore's comments below:

Nearly everything I know about producing I’ve learned from my time at Marvel Studios. I feel lucky to have worked with a group of people who love filmmaking and storytelling as much as my Marvel colleagues and the cast and crew of our films. But I couldn’t be more excited to apply my experience and passion for film towards theatrical movies in all genres, including returning to the world of Wakanda for Black Panther 3.

What Marvel's Nate Moore Confirming Black Panther 3 Means

Black Panther 3 Is Still A Priority For Marvel Studios

Marvel Studios has many key projects in development and production, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Spider-Man 4, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, among others. However, Marvel is also working on other projects that haven't received many updates in a while.Once Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's ending teased the passing of the torch from Shuri to Toussaint, Black Panther 3 became a strong possibility. Now, Marvel Studios' Black Panther 3 confirmation places the sequel in the MCU's list of upcoming projects, albeit with no official release date yet.

Considering that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are slated to release in 2026 and 2027, respectively, Marvel is unlikely to release many movies in between. Hence, Black Panther 3's plot could center around the multiverse if it comes out in late 2026 or early 2027, or it could deal with Avengers: Secret Wars' aftermath in late 2027 or 2028. Other MCU sequels that could release in Phase 6 or Phase 7 include Doctor Strange 3, Spider-Man 4, and Shang-Chi 2, with many others rumored or theorized to be in development.

Our Take On Marvel's Nate Moore Confirming Black Panther 3

Black Panther 3's Development Could Be In A More Advanced Stage Than It Seems

Marvel Studios'confirmation of the Black Panther sequel comes shortly after Denzel Washington accidentally revealed he will appear in Black Panther 3.So, while it may seem that Black Panther 3 just began development, the fact that Denzel Washington has already teased his role in Black Panther 3 suggests that Marvel Studios has been working on the movie for a while now. If true, then Black Panther 3 must already have a well-defined script, a tentative release date, and a star-power-filled cast behind-the-scenes, which implies Ryan Coogler's sequel could release sooner than we realize.

Why Black Panther 3 Seemed Inevitable Even Before The Movie Was Announced

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Perfectly Set Up Black Panther 3

Marvel Studios has only just scratched the surface in its investigation of the world of Wakanda in the MCU. Director Ryan Coogler has offered an in-depth exploration of the secretive African nation in Black Panther and its emotional 2023 sequel, but this is far from over. A number of spinoffs, including a Wakanda series, possibly an Okoye-focused series and Marvel Animation's upcoming Eyes of Wakanda series, will explore Wakanda in more detail. Expanding the world of Wakanda, however, would have always been difficult without more Black Panther movies.

The Black Panther franchise is one of the MCU's most successful, so it makes sense that Kevin Feige would be eager to continue expanding this corner of the MCU. The ending of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also perfectly set the stage for a sequel. M'Baku claimed the throne, Prince T'Challa made his debut, Shuri continues to be the Black Panther and Namor has teased his attack on the surface world. It was always inevitable that Black Panther 3 would be put into development soon after Wakanda Forever, and it's now exciting to finally be getting solid updates.

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Source: Deadline