‘Black Panther 3’ Takes Center Stage According to Reports, Could This Be Marvel’s Mystery 2027 Movie?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking a slower pace over the next few years when it comes to new movies. The next films set to hit theaters are “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” on July 31, “Doomsday” in December, and then “Avengers: Secret Wars” in December 2027.

With a general cooling off in superhero projects across the industry, Marvel isn’t rushing things on some big titles like the “Blade” reboot or a new “Deadpool” movie. But inside Marvel Studios, there’s real excitement building around Ryan Coogler’s upcoming “Black Panther 3.”

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that Ryan Coogler is officially working on the next Black Panther film. This news came during a press event for the upcoming “Fantastic Four: First Steps” movie.

Feige also hinted that they already know where the film fits in the Marvel timeline, but no release date has been announced yet. He joked, “We know [when on the timeline it is], and if he’s telling you he doesn’t, that’s perfect.”

The idea for a third Black Panther movie has been around for a while. Coogler and Feige began discussing it back in November 2022. Then in early 2023, Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri, mentioned that the cast and crew needed a break before jumping into the next project. She said they needed some time to “regroup” before moving forward.

Rumors about Denzel Washington joining the cast started circulating toward the end of 2024. Reports suggested that Coogler had serious talks with Washington about a role in the movie. These rumors were confirmed when Coogler spoke about it in June 2025 during an interview with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.

Coogler said, “I’m dying to work with Denzel and I’m hoping we can make that happen.” He added, “I got every intention of working with him in that movie and as long as he’s interested — it’s going to happen.” Coogler called Washington a “living legend and a great mentor,” praising him for “looking out for us.”

Kevin Feige has since confirmed Washington’s involvement, clearing up any doubts.

There has also been speculation about whether Marvel plans to recast the role of T’Challa. Nate Moore, Marvel’s VP of Production & Development, recently addressed this. Moore said there are no current plans to recast T’Challa. He explained that serious talks about the next Black Panther film haven’t even started because Coogler was at the time working on Sinners. While Moore didn’t rule out a recast in the future, he made it clear that no decisions have been made yet.

Moore also announced he will leave Marvel Studios in March 2025 to work independently, but confirmed he’ll come back to help produce Black Panther 3.

For now, fans can be assured that Black Panther 3 is definitely happening, and Coogler and Marvel are taking their time to make sure it’s done right.

In other Marvel news, a movie is scheduled for release on July 23, 2027, but sources say it won’t be an X-Men film. It’s rumored that Black Panther 3 might take that spot, alongside other potential contenders like Shang-Chi 2 and Doctor Strange 3.

Reports from insiders, as first revealed by Variety.

If you have thoughts about the upcoming Marvel projects, feel free to share in the comments.