If you're an MCU fanatic, you may have heard last week that Denzel Washington announced he is starring in "Black Panther 3."
Honestly, unless you live under a rock there's a big chance you heard the news. Denzel's reveal on the Today Show Australia made some big waves because ... well, "Black Panther 3" technically doesn't exist yet.
But if Denzel says "Ryan Coogler's writing a part for me in the next 'Black Panther,'" I'm going to believe him. It would make sense anyway. The franchise has been a huge success for Disney and Marvel and ending Shuri's (Letitia Wright) story as the new Black Panther after just one movie would feel odd to say the least.
Of course, now that we can expect a third "Black Panther movie to arrive in theaters, we have questions. Who else is in it, what's it about and when is it coming out?
While we don't really know the answers to the first two questions — other than assuming Wright will reprise as Shuri — I think I may know the answer to the third. And it's because of some recent comments Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige made at D23 Brazil.
Feige lays out MCU release strategy — here's where 'Black Panther 3' could fit
At Disney's D23 convention in Brazil, Feige sat down with Brazilian entertainment outlet Omelete and laid out the release schedule cadence for Marvel's MCU movies and shows going forward.
“I think it’s safe to say that we’re back to a normal rhythm, more or less. In the past, we had four movies and four series a year, and I think we’re going to go down to two movies, three series — but that won’t be the case for 2025, specifically. It’s just that we’ve been working on these titles for a long time, and they just happen to be ready to release now. We’re very excited.”
So with that in mind, we can eliminate 2025 for "Black Panther 3." Granted, that was unlikely anyway, but with three movies already slated, Marvel clearly has no plans for a fourth.
Looking at the upcoming Marvel movies in 2026, things get interesting. Marvel already has one movie tentatively confirmed for that year: "Avengers: Doomsday." But we also know "Spider-Man 4" is coming out that year, and while it's a Sony film, if it's considered part of the MCU Marvel Studios may not want another Marvel movie to come out in 2026 if they're keeping to a "two movies" a year release cadence.
Plus, there's still "Blade." This movie was already pushed back from 2025 in the release calendar and is currently in development hell, having lost multiple directors and writers. But if Marvel thinks it can still come out in Phase Six — for the record, I don't — then it may need to save the second Disney-owned MCU release date for the Mahershala Ali vampire movie.
That leaves 2027. Specifically, the first half of 2027. "Avengers: Secret Wars" is currently slated for May 7, 2027, and that movie gives Marvel a real opportunity to completely reset the MCU. I don't think that they'll want to commit to a "Black Panther" movie after that date, in case they decide they want the freedom to pivot the character in a new direction.
Also, there's a chance Disney saves the movie for Black History Month. It did that, albeit not intentionally, with the first "Black Panther" movie. But it did intentionally re-release it during Black History Month a year later.
Granted, it hasn't done that with subsequent titles in the franchise, but there is precedent.
With this information available, I'm predicting "Black Panther 3" will be released in theaters in January or February of 2027. That gives it time to breathe before the potentially MCU-shattering "Avengers: Secret Wars."
More from Tom's Guide
