Denzel Washington Teases ‘Black Panther 3’ Role

Denzel Washington could be gearing up to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a new role in Black Panther 3 — though the storied actor is obviously doing it on his terms.

In a recent interview on Today (the Australian version, not the U.S. one), Washington said director Ryan Coogler was “writing a part for me in the next Black Panther.” He didn’t say anything more about the part, though, or the follow-up to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Rather, he dropped this nugget in a discussion of how he envisions his final act. 

Washington said that, at this point in his career, he’s picking movies mostly based on filmmakers: “I’m only interested in working with the best,” he said. “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make, probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”

The actor went on to tease his upcoming slate, which includes a new Broadway production of Shakespeare’s Othello (opposite Jake Gyllenhaal) and Antoine Fuqua’s next film about the Carthaginian general Hannibal. (And though he didn’t mention it, he’s also starring in Spike Lee’s High and Low, a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s classic 1963 crime thriller of the same name.)

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Along with Coogler, Washington said he’s been talking with Steve McQueen about a new project. And he plans to close things out with more Shakespeare: Washington said he’ll make a film version of Othello, then do King Lear, and “after that, I’m going to retire.” 

Immediately on the horizon for Washington is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, which is set to hit theaters on Nov. 22. The film is set decades after the events of the original Gladiator and also stars Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal.