It’s safe to assume that few shocks remain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rather than walking into a movie blind and erupting in shock when an actor makes a surprise appearance, fan events like Disney’s D23 convention give the game away years in advance by tantalizing prospective moviegoers with the promise of every pop culture Hollywood actor they can get their hands on appearing in the next year’s films. In a stunning return to form, acting legend Denzel Washington announced his next phase of film roles and casually hinted that he’ll soon be in Marvel’s Black Panther sequel.
In a recent appearance on the Today Show Australia to promote Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, Washington claimed that he had felt no pressure to star in the sequel, even though its predecessor won numerous awards. Washington, like fellow actor Harrison Ford’s creative motivation for entering the MCU as Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, stated that he only cares about producing good work with talented artists.
Somewhere along the way, Washington admitted that he doesn’t have many more films to make, but before he calls it a career, he intends to try new things. Washington indicated he’d be collaborating with director Ryan Coogler on the third part of the Black Panther series.
“For me it’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career,” Washington told Today. “I’m 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.”
He continued: “I played Othello at 22, I’m about to play Othello at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’m talking with Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is 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’s presence in Black Panther is remarkable due to his name recognition and mentorship of the late great Chadwick Boseman. Indeed, during the 2019 AFI Awards, Boseman paid tribute to Washington, stating that Black Panther would not have been without him.
Given Washington’s retirement strategy, it will be some time before the multi-hyphen award-winning actor appears in a Marvel film. This offers fans plenty of opportunity to speculate on which comic book character Washington will bring to life from Black Panther’s mythology.
In the comments, let us know who you think Washington would be ideal for.
