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Denzel Washington in Black Panther 3? Actor Teases Marvel Movie

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Denzel Washington is almost ready to ride off into the sunset – but not before he makes his way to Wakanda.

The Oscar-winning “Gladiator II” star, 69, revealed he was considering retirement in an interview with Australia's “Today” show and claimed he would be joining the “Black Panther” franchise.

Washington revealed that he doesn't expect to make “as many” more films and that he will be “retiring” after a number of projects he has lined up. Then he casually dropped a bombshell: “Ryan Coogler is writing a role for me in the next 'Black Panther.'”

USA TODAY has reached out to Disney and Washington officials for comment.

Washington's rumored involvement in a third Black Panther has not been confirmed, nor has the film been officially announced. It also hasn't been confirmed that Coogler will direct a third Black Panther film. The director left the MCU for his next film, the Michael B. Jordan-starring horror film Sinners, which hits theaters in March.

Washington is currently receiving Oscar buzz for his role as Macrinus in Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott's Best Picture. The actor told “Today” that he plans to next play Othello, Hannibal and King Lear, as well as starring in a film from “12 Years a Slave” director Steve McQueen. He is also expected to work with Spike Lee again in an upcoming A24 film.

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If Washington takes on the Black Panther role, it would be his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The “Training Day” star has previously expressed his admiration for “Black Panther,” explaining in a 2018 interview with JOE that he cried while watching the original 2018 film.

After star Chadwick Boseman's death from cancer, “Black Panther” returned in 2022 with the sequel “Wakanda Forever,” which deals with the death of Boseman's King T'Challa and passes the superhero torch to his sister Shuri (Letitia Wright). .

“Wakanda Forever”: How the women of “Black Panther” survived grief together

On “The View” in June, Wright was tight-lipped about the status of “Black Panther 3” or her possible involvement in the next “Avengers” films, but teased, “There's still a lot to come.”

Washington has spoken about his possible retirement before, telling Empire Magazine in August: “There are very few films left that I can make that interest me, and I have to take inspiration from the filmmaker, and Ridley has inspired me tremendously .” (Scott).”

Review of “Gladiator 2”: Yes, we are once again entertained by an outrageous sequel

Chadwick Boseman once said that without Washington there would be “no Black Panther.”

Washington may have never appeared in the Black Panther series, but he had a connection to Boseman, the original cast member. He produced Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Boseman's last film before his death.

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During a tribute to the American Film Institute in 2019, Boseman also shared that Washington once “gracefully and privately” paid the tuition for him and eight other students for an acting program at the British American Drama Academy.

“Imagine receiving a letter telling you that your tuition for this summer was paid and that your patron was none other than the dumbest actor in the world,” Boseman said, adding, “Without Denzel Washington there is no 'Black Panther'.”

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