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Iconic actor Denzel Washington reveals he will star in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 3 as one of his last films before retirement.
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II is set to hit theaters Nov. 22 with Denzel Washington staring as Macrinus. The character is a navy businessman who was once an ex-slave but found his way to power without forgetting where he came from. With Gladiator II comes a lengthy promotional press run and everyone wants to chat with Denzel including Today Show Australia
During his interview, Denzel revealed shocking details about the last phase of his career, including his plans to retire and star in Black Panther 3.
“At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best, I don’t know how many more films I will make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done,” said Washington.
“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.”
Perhaps this wasn’t how we expected to hear Denzel Washington discuss retirement for the first time, but he’s been acting for over five decades, so it makes sense for him to close the curtain.
Denzel Washington Already Has Ties To Black Panther
Denzel starring in Marvel’s third installment of the Black Panther franchise would mark a full-circle moment.
As previously reported, Chadwick Boseman said in 2019 that the franchise wouldn’t exist without him.
Far Out magazine reports Denzel quietly delivered a contribution for nine Howard students to attend a summer program at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting. Chadwick Boseman was one of those nine students and would later star as T’Challa on the big screen.
If this is the last chapter of Denzel’s career, it could be one of his best performances ever.
Watch Denzel casually discuss his exit from Hollywood below.