We got a lot of ground, space, and lightyears to cover before Marvel releases a sequel to Black Panther. The film wasn't part of Kevin Fiege's stacked Phase 4 announcement at San Diego Comic-Con, but given the fact the first Black Panther made a cool $1.3 billion worldwide—and considering Fiege's cheeky comments at the end of the SDCC panel—a return trip to Wakanda with Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa is pretty much a given. And, apparently, Martin Freeman's CIA Agent Everett Ross will once again be along for the ride.

Speaking to the actor about the film Ode to Joy, Collider's Christina Radish asked Freeman if he'll be returning for any MCU films in the future, and the actor singled out Black Panther 2:

"As far as I know, I will be [returning]," Freeman said. "As far as I know, I will be in another Black Panther. That’s my understanding. As to when that will happen, I don’t know."

Black Panther writer/director Ryan Coogler is expected to return for Black Panther 2, but again, the sequel wasn't one of the projects Marvel touted at Comic-Con this summer, and indeed Feige confirmed afterwards that the Black Panther sequel is part of the studio's Phase 5 slate. So it probably won't be arriving in theaters until 2022 at the earliest.

Be on the lookout for the full interview with Freeman on Collider soon. For even more updates on the MCU, check out the links below:

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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via Marvel Studios
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Image via PBS