Denzel Washington Says ‘Black Panther 3’ Role Will Be One of His Last (original) (raw)

Is Denzel Washington retiring? Not at the moment, but if you let him tell it, that day isn’t necessarily far off, and before it arrives, he’ll appear in a superhero movie.

Speaking with Australia’s talk show, _Today, Washington spoke on some of his remaining career plans, hinting at the day he takes off his actor hat in the process. “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,” he explained.

From there, he outlined some of his plans: “I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70,” he continued. “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.”

While the folks at Marvel Studios haven’t announced a new __Black Panthe_r sequel, the success of the last one feels like it guaranteed _Black Panther 3. Despite the death of Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular role in the first film, _Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grossed over $850 million at the box office worldwide.

If Washington does end up in _Black Panther 3, it will be a proverbial full-circle moment, as Washington was once a mentor for Boseman. Giving a speech at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Awards five years ago, Boseman gave props to the legendary actor: "There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington."

Fans can see Washington get back to it when _Gladiator II debuts in theaters on November 22.