On July 25th during the San Diego Comic-Con, famed director Ryan Coogler announced our new Black Panther, David Jonsson. Naturally, the internet was set ablaze with the new information. However, within all of the excitement about the film continuation was skepticism about the casting. But never fear, we are here to put those worries to rest with a detailed list of David Jonsson’s history and past roles to help prepare you to shower this magnificent actor with love as he takes on this new role!
ALL TONGUES THAT RISE AGAINST DAVID JONSSON SHALL FALL
— Shoe 📝🐰 TLW (@scrapeourshoes) July 26, 2026
David jonsson directed by ryan coogler………. do y’all understand that we have quite literally never been so up before pic.twitter.com/GhuxtRten3 https://t.co/kkcYuilD8N
— ໒꒰ྀི´gigi ` ꒱ྀིა ••••••——🗡🧸🏹 (@gladbloods) July 26, 2026
Early Life
Born on September 4th, 1993 to two working class parents, David Jonsson-Fray wasn’t always focused on becoming a movie star. His beginnings, in fact, are quite humble and regular, growing up in Custom House, an area of the East London Docklands. His father was an IT engineer at Heathrow Airport and his mother a police officer for the Metropolitan Police station. Jonsson is the youngest of four, with two older sisters and an older brother. His background is Creole with a family mixed with Sierra Leonean, Nigerian, Caribbean, and Swedish ancestry.
Jonsson experienced most of his education at a school in East London until he was expelled at 16 for fighting and truancy. The up-and-coming actor remembers this experience with a casual, lighthearted air, stating in an interview with Empire, that "when you come from the East End, you’re gonna fight at school. That’s just natural…" However, Jonsson wasn't really a "bad kid" or a fighter; his parents had just recently separated and he was going through the instability it had caused in his life. When he had confessed his expulsion to his mother, tired after a long day of work, she asked him a question that he states as changing his life forever: "What do you want to do with your life?" His surprising answer? "To act."
Studies in New York
When most people research why Jonsson became an actor, they often find that he attributes his journey into entertainment to a stint of two years in New York City.
After being expelled from school, Jonsson was moved to a new school in Hammersmith — a 90-minute commute across the city. It was here that he discovered and explored acting through school plays and the National Youth Theatre. While still 16, he won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. He spent two years in the city, using his time to skate, make new friends, and solidify his desire for drama. In an interview with the British Independent Film Awards podcast (BIFA), he states that he found the culture of New York alluring and the greatest example of how art can connect us all.
After those two years, David returned to London for his higher education. One of his reasons being that he’s a "Brit Boy", with a deep appreciation and love for his hometown. In London, he won another scholarship, this time from Warner Bros., and finished his education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Acting.
First and Foremost a Theater Kid
While Jonsson is a newly beloved actor, gracing the screens of both our televisions and local theaters, he wasn’t always acting for the screen. In fact, Jonsson often mentions that he started in theater.
Upon his graduation, David Jonsson was cast as William Davison in the professional stage production of Mary Stuart at the Almeida Theatre. This production then transferred to Duke of York’s Theatre in 2017, marking his West End debut. That same year, he appeared yet again on the West End as Col in Don Juan at SoHo at Wyndham's Theatre alongside David Tennant.
Since his transfer to film and television acting, Jonsson has appeared in two more plays: Daddy: A Melodrama in 2020 and and breathe in 2021, the latter winning him an award at the Black British Theatre Awards.
Extremely Versatile
If you were to look at David Jonsson’s repertoire as an actor, you’d see that not many of his films are within the same genre. The man is incredibly versatile.
For example, one of his more notable roles is that of Augustus “Gus” Stackey in the first 2 seasons of the HBO drama "Industry". His portrayal of Gus as an ambitious and ice-cold Etonian banker contrasts strikingly with his portrayal of Dom, a lovestruck south Londoner in the film Rye Lane, his first ever film credit.
From rom-coms and dramas to horror and sci-fi, Jonsson can do it all. Checking out his previous work is a great way to truly explore this up-and-coming actor before he takes the stage as Prince T’Challa II in the new Black Panther film. Some of his more notable projects include Rye Lane, Alien: Romulus, The Long Walk, and Wasteman.
David doesn’t only act for the big screen either, stating in his interview with BIFA that one of his truest desires is to be able to do a short film a year. That the craft of making a film with a smaller budget speaks to him and his love of independent cinema, further mentioning that if his presence on set can help in any way that he’s honored to do so.
Ambitious and Committed
When it comes to playing a role, David says he’s the type to commit all of his being to it. While he is not a Method actor, David does believe in one doing his best to become a perfect vessel for a character.
For example, while filming Wasteman, Jonsson lost about 35 pounds for the role of Taylor, a heroin addict who has spent 13 years in prison for a crime he committed as a teenager. He also spent hours upon hours reviewing and studying prison footage to prepare for the same role.
His process, for all his roles, often includes intense research, physical immersion, character-driven observation, and a connection to his formal training at RADA. Another aspect of his process is looking deep within himself to find a seed of universal truth that can be applied to any character he plays, making them strikingly human and relatable, even if he’s playing a synthetic, non-human character like Andy in Alien: Romulus.
Thankfully, with Prince T’Challa II being a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is ample room for Jonsson to make the character his own. Never fear, comic book fans, as it’s obvious that Jonsson is the type to read the sacred texts in preparation for this new role.
LETS KICK OFF THE DAVID JONSSON APPRECIATION TRAIN ILL START pic.twitter.com/FcM1IrHj5w
Giving Back
As stated previously, David Jonsson has an intense burning love for the medium that is entertainment media. From acting to directing, writing, and producing, David desires to do it all. It’s clear to see that he’s deeply passionate and quite ambitious. On the other side of his ambition is a really true desire to give back to the film community that has comforted and developed him.
One of the ways in which Jonsson achieves this goal is with his production company, greyarea, co-founded by producer Sarah Gibber. In an interview with Variety, Jonsson states that it is with this company that he hopes to find stories with complexity and emotional truth and bring them to life. With a major focus on independent cinema and independent filmmakers, greyarea champions storytellers, both new and experienced, with a knack for subversion, familiarity, and surprise.
While no one can replace the absolute masterpiece that was Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, hopefully this list can instill a little hope in you that David Jonsson, with his kindness, dedication, and passion, will do an absolutely amazing job carrying the mantle.
