Marvel movie fans were surprised by news over the weekend that director Ryan Coogler had found his next actor to take on the iconic role of Black Panther for an upcoming third film in the series19:26, 26 Jul 2026David Jonsson has been making waves as a TV star - but is about to hit a whole new level of fame after being announced as the next Black Panther actor.‌He has some big shoes to fill, however, as the late Oscar nominated actor Chadwick Boseman - who died in 2020 at the age of 43 following a cancer battle - originally played the iconic character. David was unmasked as the next Black Panther at the annual Comic Con convention over the weekend.‌Fans were quick to congratulate the star - who many already recognise from a hit HBO series and from a major science fiction film franchise. But many other have been left asking who he is, where he came from, and what to expect when he takes over the role in the years ahead.‌Here's is everything you need to know about the British actor - who is about to become the face of a multi-billion dollar franchise, and hit a new level of international fame.Who is David Jonsson?David Jonsson is a British actor who was born in London, England, on 4 September 1993. He grew up in the Docklands area of East London - and is son to an IT engineer father and Metropolitan Police employee mother.‌The 32-year-old star has three older siblings - with one brother and two sisters. He lived in New York City after completing his GCSEs and returned to London to study ad the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - graduating from the world renowned institution in 2016. He went on to enjoy success in the West End, having been cast in a role after graduating from RADA.He first played the character William Davison in the play Mary Stuart which first opened at the Almeida Theatre before transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in early 2017. He later starred in a production of Don Juan in Soho alongside David Tennant at Wyndham's Theatre - and then advanced to TV and film roles.‌What has David Jonsson starred in?While initially known for his West End roles, David made his TV debut in two episodes of the ITV detective drama Endeavour in 2018. Arguably his breakout role was starring as Augustus 'Gus' Sackey in the first two seasons of the HBO investment banking drama Industry from 2020 to 2022.After bowing out of Industry, he had success in the Alien franchise spin-off Alien: Romulus which hit cinemas in 2024. He played the synthetic Andy and is tipped to return to the role in a hotly anticipated sequel - while his performance as the robot led to him landing the 2025 BAFTA Rising Star Award.In 2023 he featured in the cast of the BBC Agatha Christie adaptation of Murder Is Easy, and in the same year he starred in the rom-com Rye Lane. Just last year had a role in the Lena Dunham created show Too Much for Netflix.‌More recently he has been in big screen roles include the dystopian survival thriller The Long Walk, and the British prison film Wasteman - which he also worked as an executive producer on.When was David Jonsson cast as Black Panther?At the 2026 San Diego Comic Con, it was announced that David would be picking up the mantle as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of movies. Chadwick Boseman played the role from 2016 until his death - while British star Letitia Wright saw her character Shuri, the sister to Chadwick's T'Challa, took on the role following T'Challa's off-screen death.‌Director Ryan Coogler revealed he would be back to helm the third Black Panther movie which is set to be released in December 2028. Discussing the film, he revealed that David would be playing Toussaint - the son of Chadwick's T'Challa - who was briefly introduced in a mid-credit scene of the 2022 film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.Ryan told the Comic Con audience: "The last time we got to make a movie, we introduced a character who is the son of the character that the great Chadwick Boseman played, our T’Challa, in that film. And today, I want to tell you that in this next film, he grows up [and] he comes of age."After stepping on stage, David added: "I want to say thank you so much. Thank you Ryan, thank you Kevin [Feige], thank you to this amazing family that I have the honor and the privilege and the blessing to join. I actually don’t want to say too much because I want to let the screen do the talking. But believe me, the honor is entirely mine."Article continues belowLike this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .