Denzel Washington joins Black Panther 3 cast in a beautiful full circle moment after the late Chadwick Boseman once said: "There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington"

Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator 2 (2024) — (Image credit: Paramount)

After stealing the show in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, Denzel Washington has announced that he will star in Black Panther 3 and that the director is currently thinking up a role for the star.

"Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther," said Washington in an interview with TODAY, after listing off all of the other roles he is planning to take on after Gladiator 2 starting with Othello, Hannibal, a mystery film with Steve McQueen, and King Lear. "After that, I’m going to retire," concluded the star.

Washington joining the cast of the next Black Panther movie marks a beautiful full-circle moment as the late Chadwick Boseman previously stated that there would be no Black Panther movie at all without The Equalizer star. "There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington," said Boseman at the 47th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award ceremony in 2019, honoring Washington. Boseman revealed that he had a life-changing summer of acting school paid for by Washington, who has quietly funded many educational programs throughout his lifetime.

In the touching speech, Boseman added, "My whole cast, that generation stands on your shoulders, the daily battles won the thousand territories gained the many sacrifices you made for the culture on film sets through your career, the things you refused to compromise along the way lay the blueprints for us to follow." Boseman starred as T'Challa AKA Marvel superhero Black Panther in the 2018 movie. The star sadly passed away in 2020.

Based on the popular Marvel comic book series of the same name, the first Black Panther movie follows T'Challa’s return home to Wakanda to inherit his throne where he faced outside threats. The second movie released in 2022 titled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sees Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje continue to fight to protect their nation after King T'Challa's death. It is unclear at this point what storyline the third movie will follow, or what role Washington will take in the sequel.

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