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Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has confirmed that two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has been cast in the upcoming third film. Rumors of Washington having a role in Black Panther 3 have been circulating for a few years now.
While Ryan Coogler has stated he partially made Sinners out of a desire to get away from franchise filmmaking, the acclaimed filmmaker will be returning for a third Black Panther movie after previously helming 2018’s Black Panther — which grossed over $1 billion and was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards — and 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
While Marvel Studios has previously confirmed that Black Panther 3 is in development, a release date has not been announced.
“That’s a big f— with it… There’s no fiction out there about that.” Coogler said on Carmelo’s Anthony podcast when asked about Denzel being in Black Panther 3 via the game ‘F— With It or F— Out of Here.’
“Denzel is family at this point…I’ve been trying to work with him since day one. 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,” Coogler told Carmelo Anthony on his 7pm in Brookyln podcast.
Washington most recently starred in a villainous role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II last fall and will next be seen starring in Spike Lee’s movie Highest 2 Lowest, which marks the iconic duo’s first collaboration since 2006’s Inside Man.
As for Black Panther‘s place in the future of the MCU, which will surely be upended with the releases of Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027, Letitia Wright — who starred in Wakanda Forever as Shuri/the new Black Panther — has been confirmed to be appearing in Doomsday.
The next MCU film to hit theaters, and the final in 2025, will be The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which will be released in theaters on Friday, July 25. You can check out the official trailer below.