Denzel Washington has accidentally let the world in on a major Marvel secret—his involvement in Black Panther 3. Though Marvel Studios has yet to officially confirm the film, Washington’s slip of the tongue has fans buzzing.
While discussing his career plans on Australia’s Today talk show, Washington casually revealed:
I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70. 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 next Black Panther.
Cue the collective gasp from fans and a likely facepalm from Marvel Studios. Realizing his blunder, Washington wasted no time apologizing to Black Panther director Ryan Coogler. Speaking on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, Washington called Coogler a “genius” and shared:
I called him and apologized for talking about the movie, and right there sitting with him was his beautiful wife. He’s still Ryan, humble and full of ideas. Whatever he writes, I’ll read.
Despite Washington’s confirmation, Marvel remains tight-lipped about a third installment in the Black Panther series. The last film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, hit theaters in 2022 and served as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman while introducing Tenoch Huerta’s Namor.
In the meantime, Denzel Washington is keeping busy. He stars in Gladiator 2, currently in theaters, and is set to reunite with director Spike Lee for Highest 2 Lowest, a film also featuring A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice.
Fans can only hope Marvel will make it official soon because, let’s face it, the idea of Denzel joining the Black Panther universe is simply too exciting to keep under wraps.
