Hollywood star Denzel Washington is on his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
The ‘Gladiator II‘ star has revealed that he will soon be seen in director Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther 3‘. Speaking on Australia’s Today show, the star confirmed that Coogler is crafting a role for him in the highly anticipated third instalment of the Marvel superhero film, marking the first official hint that a third film is officially in the works. It must be noted that Marvel Studios has yet not announced the project or its tentative release date.
Washington also announced his Hollywood retirement, while stating that he is being selective with his final projects. “At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best,” he told he portal and added, “I don’t know how many more films I will make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done.”The veteran actor also shared his impressive film slate that includes his plans to reprise the role as Othello, followed by a portrayal of Hannibal. Washington also mentioned discussions with filmmaker Steve McQueen about another project before he joins the Black Panther franchise.
“After Black Panther, I’m going to do Othello again, then tackle King Lear, and after that, I’m going to retire,” he concluded.
Washington’s casting in the next Black Panther movie marks a full-circle moment for the star as late ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman previously stated that, “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.”
In a touching speech at the 47th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award ceremony in 2019, honouring Washington, Boseman added, “My whole cast, that generation stands on your shoulders, the daily battles won a thousand territories gained the many sacrifices you made for the culture on film sets through your career, the things you refused to compromise along the way lay the blueprints for us to follow.”
Boseman, who played the role of King T’Challa aka, Black Panther sadly passed away after a secret battle with cancer in 2020.