Denzel Washington is heading for Wakanda.
The two-time Oscar winner, currently on a press run for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel, told The Today Show Australia that Ryan Coogler is writing an unspecified role for him in the next Black Panther movie.
Washington let the role slip during the interview when the show’s host asked him whether he still carried any anxieties around starring in flicks like Gladiator. Washington’s response was illuminating.
“At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done,” he said. “I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film.”
Washington then added: “After that, Ryan Coogler is 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.”
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Washington gave a slight smirk and shot up a peace sign after pronouncing his retirement.
There aren’t currently any details out there about Coogler’s plans for a third Black Panther. The second film in the franchise was release in 2022, two years after the death of the film’s lead actor Chadwick Boseman. The film took a stomping $850 million worldwide.
For now, Washington reunites with Ridley Scott on Gladiator 2. The pair previously worked together on American Gangster. This year Denzel also re-teamed with his longtime collaborator Spike Lee on High and Low, an English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller. The film is set up at A24.
Gladiator 2 opens on Friday.
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