Denzel Washington Says ‘Black Panther 3’ Will Be One of His Final Films Before He Retires

Denzel Washington dropped the bombshell that he’s planning to retire from the big screen soon, but not before heading to Wakanda first.
Speaking to Australia’s “Today” show while promoting “Gladiator II,” the Oscar winner, 69, let it slip that Ryan Coogler is writing an unspecified role for him in the next “Black Panther” film.
Coogler wrote and directed 2018’s Oscar-winning “Black Panther” and its 2022 sequel, “Wakanda Forever.”
Washington may have inadvertently spilled the beans, since the film’s third installment has not yet been announced or confirmed by Marvel.
While discussing his plans in Hollywood, Washington said, “At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best. 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.”
“I played Othello at 22. I am about to play Othello at 70,” he continued, nodding to the Shakespearean play co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal that debuts on Broadway in February 2025.
“After that, I am playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking to Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’ After that, I’m going to do the film ‘Othello.’ After that, I’m going to do King Lear,” he said, before adding, “After that, I’m going to retire.”
Social media users on X (formerly Twitter) gushed over the prospect of Washington in a Marvel film.
We getting Denzel Washington in a Marvel movie pic.twitter.com/21C9OowlhF
Denzel Washington in a Marvel Movie and it’s Black Panther? we won. https://t.co/ZkW5lkC9lJ
Denzel Washington in a Black Panther movie just feels right, to me. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, Black male actor of all time being part of a franchise that showcases Black talent better than anything else in recent memory just feels right. https://t.co/o0ESuAFQWi
Others lamented Washington’s suggestion that his legendary career will come to an end in a few years.
Denzel Washington saying he only got a few movies left in him hurts but ain’t nobody else deserves to sit back and enjoy life like him, a well earned career.
The thought of Denzel Washington retiring from acting gives me the same feeling as knowing my parents aren’t going to live forever. I’m going to be a mess on his final film 🙂↕️ https://t.co/AxiXSmI72I
Marvel and Washington’s reps did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
The rumored “Black Panther” film will mark Washington’s debut in the MCU, but the actor already has ties to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular hero.
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Washington produced 2020′s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Boseman’s final film before his death at age 43 in August 2020.
Boseman also revealed that Washington once “gracefully and privately” paid for his and several other students’ tuition for an acting program at the British American Drama Academy.
“Imagine receiving a letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for, and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet,” Boseman said at the time, noting, “There is no ‘Black Panther’ without Denzel Washington.”