Few movie studios are quite as secretive as Marvel. The MCU is a major franchise, and the attempts to keep spoilers from leaking are quite significant. This made it more than a little wild when Denzel Washington just came out and said he would be in Black Panther 3, a movie that Marvel had never even confirmed it was making.

Director Ryan Coogler has confirmed that Denzel Washington will appear in the third Black Panther movie. Two-time Oscar winner Washington, 70, previously revealed that Coogler, who helmed 2018’s Black Panther and its 2022 follow-up Wakanda Forever, was writing him a part.

In November 2024, the ‘Training Day’ star let slip that he and Coogler were in talks about the role When Ryan Coogler began thinking about the cast of Black Panther 3, top of his list was Denzel Washington.