Denzel Washington to Star In Black Panther 3 Before Retiring

Washington claims Ryan Coogler is writing in a part in the third Black Panther film, as he focuses on doing "things that I haven't done" before retirement.

Before he steps away from Hollywood, Denzel Washington is hoping to get a Marvel movie under his belt.

Speaking with Today Show Australia, the actor claimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler is working on a script for a third Black Panther film -- and writing a part just for him.

Although Marvel hasn't publicly confirmed details on a followup to Wakanda Forever, Washington spilled some tea while on his press tour for Gladiator II.

"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," Washington explained. "I want to do things that I haven't done."

Coming up, he's playing Othello on Broadway, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, before a general Hannibal project at Netflix and possibly something with Steve McQueen, he said.

"After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther,'" he then stated. "After that, I'm going to do the film 'Othello.' After that, I'm going to do King Lear. After that, I'm going to retire."

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Black Panther is one of the MCU's crown jewels.

The first film was released in 2018 and starred the late Chadwick Boseman in the titular role, alongside Lupita Nyong'o, and Michael B. Jordan. The movie was a smash hit, bringing in $700 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide.

Boseman, however, passed away from colon cancer at 43 in 2020. His unexpected death shook the entire industry, before his on-screen sister Shuri -- played by Letitia Wright -- stepped into the superhero's shoes in Wakanda Forever.

Washington was a patron of Boseman's while in college, reportedly paying for the younger actor's tuition to study abroad at Oxford University for their summer acting program.

"I didn't have money to pay for this," Boseman said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "I've basically been holding this a secret for my whole career. When I came back, I got a beneficiary letter, and it said, 'Denzel Washington paid for you.' I was like, What?"

While honoring Washington at the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, Boseman said, "There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington."

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