We know that Black Panther 3 is filmmaker Ryan Coogler's next movie, and it's been widely reported that the threequel will kick off the post-Avengers: Secret Wars MCU in February 2028.
Black Panther was released in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim and a massive $1.3 billion worldwide. The sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, grossed $859 million worldwide in 2022 and was similarly considered a success in the post-COVID landscape for superhero movies.
Coogler has found heaps of success outside of the MCU with movies like Creed and Sinners. And, due to the challenges that came with making a sequel after Chadwick Boseman's passing, many have questioned why the writer and director would return to the Black Panther franchise.
In the latest episode of Happy Sad Confused, Josh Horowitz asked Coogler what he's setting out to prove with the upcoming Black Panther 3.
"I'm not making movies to prove anything. I'm telling stories that I want to tell; that I'm obsessed with; that I feel the burning desire to do. [Black Panther 3 is] a movie that I'm incredibly excited about. That's really the truth of it. [The] opportunity to prove things to myself or prove things about the marketplace now, absolutely."
"I did enjoy making a movie that was essentially about powerful black women who were grappling with grief while trying to do incredibly important jobs, and also starring indigenous American people. I have a good time proving that movie could make $800 million. Absolutely. It brought me great joy to prove that. But that's not why I was making it."
"I was making it because I had a story that I was obsessed with. I had an opportunity to do things...I learned how to swim from that movie, bro. I've been terrified of the water. I got to live my best James Cameron life. I'm 20 feet in the tank. With a bunch of black and Mexican folks swimming around. That was awesome. I did get a chance to move through an inescapable human emotion of grief, and I get to tell that story to my kids."
"I got [Black Panther 3] on my heart. From the outside looking in, you might say, "Man, why is this dude making another one of those?' That's totally fine. That's totally a question that makes sense. I don't deny that. It's my job as a filmmaker to show why, it's my job to answer that question."
Oscar-winner Denzel Washington has already confirmed that he will star in Black Panther 3, but Coogler continued playing coy when it came to his plans for the actor in the MCU.
"Out of all the 10 billion people on the planet, however many billion we are, I'm gonna be the happiest one, bro," he said of how it would feel to direct Washington. "I'm gonna try [to write him a good part]."
Black Panther 3 remains shrouded in secrecy. However, it's been widely reported that, following the events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the spotlight will shift to a new T'Challa (likely an adult version of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Toussaint).
What do you hope to see from the next Black Panther movie? Head to the comments section below to share your thoughts.