Los Angeles | After directing the hit film "Sinners", Ryan Coogler says he is ready to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with "Black Panther 3".

During the "Sinners" panel discussion at Deadline's Contenders Film: Los Angeles, the two-time Oscar nominee confirmed to the outlet that "Black Panther 3" is his “next movie” as he intends to complete the MCU trilogy which began with Chadwick Boseman in 2018.

"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," he said.

Boseman first played the role of T'Challa, appearing in 2016's "Captain America: Civil War", followed by the "Black Panther" feature film after which he reprised the role in 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War" and 2019's "Avengers: Endgame".

After Boseman passed away due to colon cancer in August 2020, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" was released in 2022 and dedicated to his memory with the death of T'Challa. Later, Letitia Wright's Shuri took over the heroic title.

In November 2024, Denzel Washington let it slip that he is being considered for a role in the third installment of "Black Panther".

During an interview in Australia promoting "Gladiator II", he said that Coogler was writing a part for him which the director has since confirmed.