Sinners Director Ryan Coogler Confirms MCU Return With Black Panther 3 As His Next Film

Sounds like it is almost time to go back to Wakanda. Ryan Coogler says the next feature he is making is Black Panther 3. No date yet, no trailer, no nothing. But it is the one at the front of his line.

"If it was anybody but you, I would say, 'I can neither confirm or deny.' But we're working on it hard... Yeah, it's the next movie."

Coogler dropped that on stage at Contenders Film: Los Angeles, a Deadline-hosted event. It is the clearest he has been about where he is headed next after two trips to Wakanda already.

What we actually know right now

• Where he said it: On stage during Contenders Film: Los Angeles, hosted by Deadline.
• Status: Black Panther 3 is Coogler's next feature film. There is no release window yet.
• Cast: Letitia Wright and Winston Duke are expected to return. Back in June 2024, Denzel Washington said Coogler was writing a role for him; Coogler later confirmed Washington's involvement over the summer. Beyond that, no other casting is official.
• Coogler's plate: He helped develop the Disney+ series Eyes of Wakanda and Ironheart, and he wrote and directed Sinners, an original vampire horror set in the deep South in the early 1930s, led by frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan. He has also been working on a reboot of The X-Files since finishing Sinners. That little 'next movie' phrasing matters because X-Files is a TV project; Black Panther 3 is the feature up next.
• Marvel's calendar pressure: Avengers: Doomsday is slated for next year, with Secret Wars the year after. Translation: the overall MCU train is moving whether Wakanda is on board next year or not.

So, the gist: Coogler has finally said out loud that Black Panther 3 is his next movie, Denzel Washington is in the mix, Shuri and M'Baku are expected back, and the rest is under wraps. Given his workload, the timing is the question, but it sounds like the wheels are turning.