Denzel Washington‘s news about Black Panther 3 holds up. Ryan Coogler confirmed he will indeed be part of the cast of the 2028 movie, sharing it’s been a longtime desire to work alongside the Othello star.
“Denzel is family at this point … I’ve been trying to work with him since day one,” Coogler said on Carmelo Anthony‘s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. “I think he’s the greatest living actor, and in terms of what he means to our culture, forget about it. I’ve been talking to him about this for a long time.”
Washington previously spilled the beans in November 2024 while sharing his upcoming projects on Australian Today. According to Variety, he said Coogler was “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. After that, I’m going to retire.”
“For me, it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best,” he said at the time. “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. It’s probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”
Of the revelation, Coogler admits, “I was surprised when he mentioned it, but it’s not like it’s not true.”
Washington is currently wrapping up Othello on Broadway, with the movie Highest 2 Lowest on the way. Meanwhile, Coogler’s latest movie, Sinners, is now available to stream at home; it’s up for digital purchase on Prime Video.
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