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“F1: The Movie” star Damson Idris could be the next Black Panther. That’s the rumor Idris just added a lot of fuel to in an appearance on “Today”. You can watch the video below.

Appearing on the show to promote “F1: The Movie”, Idris was invited to play a game in which he was supposed to supply yes or no answers about his career. When co-anchor Craig Melvin asked him if he’d had any conversations about being cast as the next Black Panther, Idris groaned and answered “Yes-no!”

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Craig responded with, “By the way, the yes-no means yes.”

Idris replied, “Uh, it could mean no!”

Craig retorted with “It probably means yes” and then asked Idris if he would play the Black Panther if asked.

To that, Idris replied with “Yes”.

Rumors have been swirling around Idris replacing the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/The Black Panther for the better part of 2025. As recounted by Entertainment Weekly, the InSneider Report was the first site to claim Marvel Studios was looking to recast T’Challa in spite of initially saying that would never happen.

In a since-deleted post, Idris would later sarcastically respond to a claim on X that he had turned down the role of Black Panther with, “Yes sir. I turned down 007, A co-lead film with Daniel Day Lewis and an Eddie Murphy biopic too.”

Boseman originated the role of T’Challa in 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War”, and would go on to play the hero three more times, including in 2018’s “Black Panther. He died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 43.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” followed in 2022, with Marvel vowing not to recast the role of T’Challa. Instead, the film opens with the reveal that T’Challa has died. Eventually, his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) takes over the role of Black Panther.

If Idris does wind up in “Black Panther 3”, he could very well find himself working with Denzel Washington for the first time. Writer/Director Ryan Coogler recently confirmed not only that he wants Washington in the threequel, but that he’s writing a part specifically for the Oscar-winner.

There’s no word yet on who Washington might play in “Black Panther 3” or when the movie might hit theaters.

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