Denzel Washington Confirmed for ‘Black Panther 3,’ Ryan Coogler Says It's a Dream Come True
Denzel Washington is officially headed to Wakanda.
During the June 5 episode of the “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast, “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler confirmed that the Oscar-winning icon will star in the franchise’s third installment.
“Denzel is family at this point…I’ve been trying to work with him since day one,” the 39-year-old filmmaker told host Carmelo Anthony. “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.”
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The collaboration had been hinted at last November, when Washington revealed to Australian Today that 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,” per Variety.
At the time, Coogler was surprised the actor shared it publicly: “I was surprised when he mentioned it, but it’s not like it’s not true.”
Washington added, “For me, it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best. 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.”
Black Panther 3 is scheduled to hit theaters in February 2028, according to IMDb. Before then, Washington will appear in “Highest 2 Lowest,” directed by Spike Lee.
