If you're an MCU fanatic, you may have heard Denzel Washington announce last week that he will be appearing in Black Panther 3.

Frankly, unless you've been living under a rock, there's a good chance you heard the news. Denzel's reveal on Australia's “Today Show” caused quite a stir.

But if Denzel says, “Ryan Coogler is writing a role for me in the next Black Panther,” I'll believe him. Either way, it makes sense. This franchise has been a huge success for Disney and Marvel, and to end the story of Shuri (Letitia Wright) as the new Black Panther after just one film would feel odd, to say the least.

Of course, now that we can expect a third “Black Panther” film to be released, we have our doubts. Who else will be in the film, what will it be about, and when will it be released?

We don't know the answers to the first two questions, except to assume that Wright will reprise his role as Suri, but we may know the answer to the third. This is because of recent comments made by Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige at D23 Brazil.

At Disney's D23 convention in Brazil, Feige sat down with Brazilian entertainment outlet Omelete to explain the flow of Marvel's upcoming MCU movie and show release schedule.

“I think it's safe to say that we are more or less back to our normal rhythm. We used to have four films and four series a year; I think going forward it will be two films and three series. It's just that we've been working on these titles for a long time and they just happen to be ready to be released now. I am very excited.”

With that in mind, we can rule out 2025 for Black Panther 3. Of course, that's unlikely anyway, but with three movies already scheduled, Marvel clearly has no plans for a fourth.

Things get interesting when we look at the Marvel movies scheduled for 2026. Marvel already has one movie tentatively scheduled for that year: the Avengers: Doomsday. But we also know that “Spider-Man 4” will be released that year, and although it is a Sony film, if it is considered part of the MCU, Marvel Studios may not want another Marvel film released in 2026 if it sticks to its “two films” a year release.

Additionally, there is still “Blade.” This film has already been pushed back from 2025 on the release calendar, has lost several directors and screenwriters, and is currently in development hell. However, if Marvel thinks it can still be released in Phase 6 (and for the record, I don't), it may need to save the release date of the second Disney-owned MCU for a Mahershala Ali vampire film.

That leaves 2027. Specifically, the first half of 2027. The Avengers Avengers: Secret Wars is currently slated for release on May 7, 2027, which gives Marvel a real opportunity to completely reset the MCU. They will not want to commit to a “Black Panther” film after that date, in case they decide they want the freedom to pivot this character in a new direction.

It is also possible that Disney will save the film for Black History Month. This was the case with the first “Black Panther” film, although not intentionally. However, it was intentionally re-released a year later for Black History Month.

Of course, subsequent franchise films have not done so, but there is precedent.

Based on this information, I expect “Black Panther 3” to be released in January or February 2027, allowing time for a breather before the potential MCU-shaking “Avengers: Secret Wars.”