Summary
Earlier this year, Denzel Washington had the entireMarvelfanbase talking after claiming that Ryan Coogler is writing a role for him inBlack Panther 3. The unconfirmed movie would create a trilogy for the Wakanda-based characters, andWashington heavily hinted at his participation in it. This was a major spoiler at the time, given that Marvel hadn’t even announced the movie’s happening.
The news was met with overwhelming positivity due to Washington’s impressive career and the potential of seeing him enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there has still been no confirmation thatBlack Panther 3is happening, even though the previous two movies have performed well for Marvel Studios. However, Washington has now slightly backtracked on his original comments during a new interview.
The Gladiator 2star spoke toVarietyand admitted he apologized for publicly stating he was involved inBlack Panther 3.He said, “Ryan’s a genius. I called him and apologized for talking about the movie, and right there sitting with him was his beautiful wife. He’s still Ryan, humble and full of ideas. Whatever he writes, I’ll read.” It is unclear whether this was him simply apologizing for publicly announcing it or because he’s not officially involved. Still, he has attempted to put some distance on his previous statement.
The fact that Washington had name-dropped Coogler is something that instantly caught people’s attention because he has been heavily involved in theBlack Pantherfranchise up until now. He directed and co-wrote the originalBlack Pantherin 2018 and then went on to co-write and direct the sequel,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in 2022. Therefore, the idea of him being involved in a potentialBlack Panther 3would certainly make sense from Marvel’s perspective because Coogler has proven himself within that world and understands its characters. Meanwhile, Washington is a fan of his work, so ifBlack Panther 3gets green-lit, he could be interested in participating, which is a positive sign.
Marvel fans took his original comments and spent timespeculating about who Washington could playin the world ofBlack Pantherand what a potential third installment in that franchise would look like. The majority of Marvel fans want to see more stories from Wakanda, and adding someone of Washington’s status is only going to help attract interest in the project ahead of time.
Everything revolving around this story very much remains a mystery at the moment because there is no confirmation about the movie even happening, let alone the cast. However, Washington’s previous comments seeminglyhint that he’s joining a possibleBlack Panther 3cast, and his apology could have been simply for letting that information slip publicly before he was supposed to do so. Washington has covered his bases by apologizing and revealing that to people. But now that the seed has been planted in the minds of fans, there is no doubt that audiences want to see the legendary actor step into the MCU in some capacity, whether in Wakanda or elsewhere.
