David Jonsson Movies & TV Shows To Watch Before ‘Black Panther 3’
When Marvel chooses an actor to take on a role in the MCU, there’s a good chance they’re an already established box office presence. Marvel loves to generate hype, whether it’s bringing back Robert Downey Jr. to play Doctor Doom, having Ryan Gosling step into the shoes of Ghost Rider, or announcing that Academy Award-winning actors like Mahershala Ali will appear. So when Marvel announced at San Diego Comic Con that actor David Jonsson would become the new Black Panther in Black Panther 3 (2028), fans were excited, but also left wondering exactly who he was.
While his filmography is relatively small, in the few projects he was in, Jonsson was usually cited as being one of the highlights, bringing with him a gentility and open performance that’s rare for any actor, new or veteran. So with that in mind, if you’re curious about who exactly the new Black Panther is before he makes his official debut in Black Panther 3, then here are some must-watch Jonsson performances to make you certain that he’s the right man to fill Chadwick Boseman’s big shoes. Head over to Hulu, HBO Max, and more, to watch now!
Every actor has to start somewhere, and while Jonsson had roles in shows like Deep State (2019) to help get his name out there, his first big break would be in the financial thriller Industry.
You would think that a drama about finances and bankers wouldn’t be a thrilling watch, but leave it to HBO and the BBC to craft a wild drama that is absolutely brutal in its takedown of the ultra-wealthy and corporate greed. Much like The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), few members of its cast are good people, but you can’t really root against them. Case in point, Jonsson’s Gus, who is constantly shown as charming, likable, and always displaying a positive attitude, even when he snakes and worms his way into power, or just blatantly blackmails and bribes people to get what he wants. Is he an entitled rich kid? Definitely, but compared to how detestable the other cast members are, Jonsson’s wit and charm just made Gus the best of the worst. Season 2 of Industry really showed the breadth of Jonsson’s acting abilities, and while the character hasn’t been seen since, here’s hoping he appears in the show’s upcoming fifth and final season.
While the United States is the largest market for new films, countless movies fly under the radar solely because they’re from another country. Foreign films rarely get the recognition they deserve, especially if they’re independent films, and that couldn’t be more obvious than in Rye Lane.
Rye Lane is an excellent example of a short, sub-90-minute rom-com that makes excellent use of its time. It radiates warmth, and the chemistry between Jonsson’s Dom and Vivian Oparah’s Yas is palpable. Both characters clearly have unresolved issues with their exes, but the way they help each other out makes you want to just yell at them to get over their problems and kiss each other. It’s pretty clear that Jonsson is having a lot of fun playing a romantic lead. He’s down on his luck and definitely wallows in some good old-fashioned self-loathing, but watching him become happier the more time he spends with Yas can make even the coldest cynic think that true love can still exist. It wears its inspiration from Love Actually (2003) on its sleeve, and shows that Jonsson has potential as a leading man.
As an English actor, there’s a non-zero chance that most people may not have seen his earlier work in film and television. That being said, when he appeared in Alien: Romulus as Andy, the broken android who makes his way onto the Romulus alongside his adopted sister Rain, he quickly became one of the two-hour film’s strongest assets.
It’s immediately clear that Andy is a cinnamon roll of a character. He’s a nice guy (despite being an android), and you really do feel for Rain as she watches him slowly become corrupted by Weyland-Yutani. It’s tragic watching a simple soul become a heartless machine working solely out of interest to the most evil company in media history, but it does help to show Jonsson’s range. It’s not easy going from kind and empathetic to cold and callous, but Jonsson makes it look like second nature. Sure, the dialogue he has isn’t exactly A+ material and can make people roll their eyes, but that’s hardly Jonsson’s fault, and he makes it work to the best of his ability. Come for the atmosphere that’s reminiscent of Event Horizon (1997), stay for Jonsson’s brilliant acting.
If there’s one thing that’s clear about Jonsson’s past performances, it’s that he’s able to cut through to the heart of the character. He understands what makes them tick and is able to bring out an emotional life that draws viewers in, and that’s probably most true in The Long Walk.
By all accounts, The Long Walk is a film about misery. Watching teenage boys endlessly walk until they die under the guise of patriotism is horrifying, but throughout the film’s merciless pacing, Jonsson’s Pete manages to stay optimistic. He’s always there to crack a joke, make people smile, or do whatever he can to urge people to keep walking. He wants to make the world a better place, and while that optimism eventually erodes the longer the walk goes on, it doesn’t change the fact that he shows nothing but kindness to the people he’s competing against. It’s not easy playing a character with as much humanity as Pete, but Jonsson’s acting makes it seem effortless. You simply can’t hate Pete no matter how hard you try, and it’s only further proof that Jonsson knows exactly what to say and how to act to make you like him.
