Though we have been hearing rumors that Marvel Studios is developing a third Black Panther movie for quite a while, the project still hasn't been officially announced. Even so, we got some pretty concrete confirmation that the threequel is in the works last month when the legendary Denzel Washington revealed that he has a role in the film.
During an interview with the Today Show, the Gladiator II star mentioned that director Ryan Coogler is writing a role for him specifically, although he didn't disclose any more details.
The news was widely circulated, and Washington clearly realized that he'd let the cat (no pun) out of the bag a little prematurely.
“Ryan’s a genius,” Washington said during an appearance on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast. “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.”
There's been a lot of speculation about who Washington might play in the film, but there's a chance Coogler created a brand-new character that wasn't previously introduced in the comic books.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever served as a fitting tribute to T'Challa and the late Chadwick Boseman while establishing Shuri (Letitia Wright) as the new Panther and introducing an entire aquatic civilization. The mid-credits scene also featured the debut of T'Challa's son, who will almost certainly take over as Wakanda's King and protector someday.
So, it's fair to say the movie set-up quite a few things that could potentially be explored in a next movie.
During a 2022 interview with the New York Times, Coogler admitted that he'd be glad to stay on this franchise for "as long as folks will have me."
"I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to work on these movies, bro. When I got asked to do the first one, it was like a moving train. I thank God every day that I was able to jump on it and meet these people, these actors, and to meet Chadwick during some of the last years of his life. I’ll do it as long as folks will have me. But I think it’s bigger than just me or Joe. Between the first and second movie, we made $2 billion at the box office, which is what matters the most to corporations. So I hope that it continues, man. I hope people are still making movies about Wakanda long after we’re gone."
Are there any particular Marvel Comics characters you'd like to see Denzel Washington play in Black Panther 3? Drop us a comment down below.