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When Ryan Coogler began thinking about the cast of Black Panther 3, top of his list was Denzel Washington.
While appearing on the newest episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, which landed on Thursday, June 5, Coogler, 39, explained that working with the Training Day star has long been on his bucket list.
“Denzel is family at this point…I’ve been trying to work with him since day one,” the Black Panther director 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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In November 2024, Washington, 70, let slip that he and Coogler were in talks about the upcoming film, which Coogler was surprised to learn.
“I was surprised when he mentioned it, but it’s not like it’s not true,” he told Anthony.
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On Australian Today, Washington said 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,” Washington said, per Variety.
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“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,” the actor admitted.
As for Washington’s next move, he is set to star in Highest 2 Lowest alongside Spike Lee, and Coogler expressed on the podcast how much he’s looking forward to seeing the project.
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“I’m so hyped for this,” Coogler said of the film slated for release in August 2025. “That trailer — the monologue Denzel [is] in rare form. I just can’t put no words to how excited I am, man, because when [Lee] and Denzel get together, it’s always a masterpiece.”
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Last month, Coogler’s movie Sinners was released in theaters, starring his longtime collaborator Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Miles Caton. It centers around “twin brothers returning to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back,” per IMDb.
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Coogler had the chance to show his mentor Spike Lee the project and said that the experience was “surreal.”
“For me to give Spike a cinematic experience. I’m just paying him back with interest, bro,” Coogler explained. “It meant the world to me….I cried.”
Black Panther 3 is set to hit theaters in February 2028, per IMDb. Black Panther, starring the late Chaswick Boseman, was released in January 2018. Black Panther 2 arrived in theaters in November 2022.
