Denzel Washington Says He Has a Role inBlack Panther 3— and It Will Mark 1 of His Final Movies Before He Retires

Mar. 15, 2025

Denzel Washington on Oct. 23, 2024.Photo:Arturo Holmes/Getty

Arturo Holmes/Getty

Denzel Washingtonappears to have the rest of his acting career mapped out.While Washington, 69, promoted his new movie,Gladiator II, during an appearance on Australia’sTodayshowon Monday, Nov. 11, the actor said thatBlack Pantherwriter-directorRyan Cooglerintends to create a role for Washington inBlack Panther 3.“For me, it’s about the filmmaker. Especially at this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best,” Washington said in response to a question over whether he felt any “pressure” filming a sequel to 2000’sGladiator, which won fiveAcademy Awards.“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. I played Othello at 22; I’m about to play Othello at 70,” he said, referencing hisupcoming Broadway run in Shakespeare’sOthellowithJake Gyllenhaal. “After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the nextBlack Panther.“Letitia Wright in 2022’sBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionDuring that interview, Washington added that he also intends to star in a film adaptation ofOthelloand act in another Shakespeare production,King Lear, before retiring from acting.Marvel Studios has not officially announced that a thirdBlack Panthermovie is in development. The film series last brought comic book fans to the fictional African country Wakanda in 2022’sBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, which saw much of the original 2018 movie’s cast return and grapple — both on-screen and off — with original series leadChadwick Boseman’s2020 deathat 43 from colon cancer.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.In that movie,Letitia Wright’s character, Shuri, takes on the Black Panther mantle; the film’s final moments also reveal that Boseman’s character, T’Challa, andLupita Nyong’o’s Nakia welcomed a son, who is also named T’Challa.Wright, 31, toldVarietyat the 2023 Golden Globe Awards that a third Black Panther movie was “already in the works,” though she said she believed there would be some time between the sequel an third installment. Marvel has not yet confirmed any moviesset for releasebeyond thefourth and fifthAvengersmovies, which will release in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.From Left: Denzel Washington; and Chadwick Boseman.Rich Fury/Getty Images (2)Washington’s potential addition to theBlack Pantherseries would mark a kind of full-circle moment for him and Boseman. While the pair never acted on-screen together, Bosemanrevealedin June 2019 that Washington once “gracefully and privately” paid for him and a number of his classmates at Howard University to attend a summer acting program at Oxford University in England.“There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington,” Boseman recalled to an audience while presenting Washington with the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Denzel Washingtonappears to have the rest of his acting career mapped out.

While Washington, 69, promoted his new movie,Gladiator II, during an appearance on Australia’sTodayshowon Monday, Nov. 11, the actor said thatBlack Pantherwriter-directorRyan Cooglerintends to create a role for Washington inBlack Panther 3.

“For me, it’s about the filmmaker. Especially at this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best,” Washington said in response to a question over whether he felt any “pressure” filming a sequel to 2000’sGladiator, which won fiveAcademy Awards.

“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. I played Othello at 22; I’m about to play Othello at 70,” he said, referencing hisupcoming Broadway run in Shakespeare’sOthellowithJake Gyllenhaal. “After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the nextBlack Panther.”

Letitia Wright in 2022’sBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.Marvel/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

During that interview, Washington added that he also intends to star in a film adaptation ofOthelloand act in another Shakespeare production,King Lear, before retiring from acting.

Marvel Studios has not officially announced that a thirdBlack Panthermovie is in development. The film series last brought comic book fans to the fictional African country Wakanda in 2022’sBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever, which saw much of the original 2018 movie’s cast return and grapple — both on-screen and off — with original series leadChadwick Boseman’s2020 deathat 43 from colon cancer.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

In that movie,Letitia Wright’s character, Shuri, takes on the Black Panther mantle; the film’s final moments also reveal that Boseman’s character, T’Challa, andLupita Nyong’o’s Nakia welcomed a son, who is also named T’Challa.

Wright, 31, toldVarietyat the 2023 Golden Globe Awards that a third Black Panther movie was “already in the works,” though she said she believed there would be some time between the sequel an third installment. Marvel has not yet confirmed any moviesset for releasebeyond thefourth and fifthAvengersmovies, which will release in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.

From Left: Denzel Washington; and Chadwick Boseman.Rich Fury/Getty Images (2)

Washington’s potential addition to theBlack Pantherseries would mark a kind of full-circle moment for him and Boseman. While the pair never acted on-screen together, Bosemanrevealedin June 2019 that Washington once “gracefully and privately” paid for him and a number of his classmates at Howard University to attend a summer acting program at Oxford University in England.

“There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington,” Boseman recalled to an audience while presenting Washington with the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

source: people.com