Late last year, Denzel Washington revealed Ryan Coogler had cast him in Black Panther 3. While nothing has been confirmed, Achebe and Magneto are among the names we've since heard from scoopers claiming to know who the screen icon will play in the MCU threequel.
The Black Panther franchise has never struggled to attract top-tier talent, but someone like Washington joining a comic book franchise is a huge deal and could be a game-changer for Marvel Studios as a whole.
Doing the rounds to promote Sinners, Coogler was asked about Washington's comments and said, "I’m dying to work with Denzel and I’m hoping we can make that happen. I got every intention of working with him in that movie and as long as he’s interested - it’s going to happen," he confirmed.
The filmmaker made a point of praising the The Equalizer star by calling him a "living legend and a great mentor," adding, "He's all about looking out for us." As we're sure you recall, Washington played a huge role in Chadwick Boseman's early career.
When Phylicia Rashad was mentoring the late actor while teaching at Howard University, Boseman was accepted into the British American Drama Academy's Midsummer program but couldn't afford to take part. She made a call to Washington, and he agreed to foot the bill.
Coogler was also asked how long we'll have to wait for Black Panther 3 and replied, "Not long." That may confirm recent reports about the movie's release date.
He may not have signed on the dotted line, but it was during Gladiator II's press tour when Washington confirmed he'll star in Black Panther 3. The movie hadn't been officially announced at the time, though that didn't stop him from spilling the beans!
"For me, it's about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career," the screen icon said. "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 I haven't done...Ryan Coogler's writing a part for me in the next Black Panther."
Later, Washington admitted that he'd spoken out of turn and quickly made things right with Coogler. "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."
Rumours continue to swirl about plans to recast T'Challa, with the prevailing theory being that Toussaint will pick up where his father left off (if Avengers: Secret Wars really does reboot the MCU, that should be easy enough).
You can hear more from Coogler in the player below.