‘Gladiator 2’ Star Denzel Washington Confirms Appearance In ‘Black Panther 3’, Says Marvel Film Will Be Among Last Before He Retires: “I Don’t Know How Many More Films I’m Gonna Make, Probably Not That Many”
With two Oscars to his name and a new role in Gladiator 2, Denzel Washington is well-deserving of his status as a Hollywood Legend – but as he approaches his 70th birthday, the American Gangster star has announced that he plans on doing just five more movies before he retires, including Marvel’s Black Panther 3.
Having starred in more than 30 films across his more than four-decade career, including all three installments of The Equalizer trilogy, Washington is famous for being very selective with the roles he accepts. So much so, in fact, that he doesn’t audition for roles against other actors, leaving directors who want to work with him to have to specifically craft roles just for him.
While these strict principles likely played a big part in preventing the actor from joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe beforehand, according to Washington, he will soon make his franchise debut in the upcoming Black Panther 3.
And more than that, he has also announced that his inaugural MCU role will be one of the last before he ultimately retires.
Speaking with the Today Show Australia while on the press tour for Gladiator 2, Washington revealed, “At this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m gonna make, probably not that many. I wanna do things I haven’t done.”
“I played Othello at 22; I’m about to play Othello at 70,” he detailed. “After that, I am playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been 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 gonna do the film, Othello. After that, I’m gonna do King Lear. After that, I’m gonna retire.”
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Notably, Denzel’s announcement of his upcoming journey to Wakanda is actually the first concrete news fans have received about Black Panther 3, which will likely be the first film to be released in the post-Avengers: Secret Wars era.
With Washington joining its star-studded cast, the film also has the potential to renew interest in the series after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever failed to hit the heights of the inaugural film.
Further, if his timeline is correct and his Othello project does come out some time after he turns 70 this December 28th, then Black Panther 3 will likely see release at least before 2027. However, given that Marvel has made no official statements corroborating Washington’s announcement, it is currently impossible to attach an official timeline to his potential retirement.
Therefore, we ultimately don’t know when the actor will finally take his leave from the silver screen. Since he is currently 69 years old, he could well be into his 80s by the time all these films are completed. Further, actors have also been known to change their minds about retirement, thus rendering the entire question firmly to the realm of speculation.
Meanwhile, in the here and now, Washington can currently be seen in Gladiator 2, one of the best films of the year and the actor’s second ever with Ridley Scott following after the aforementioned American Gangster.
In the film, Washington portrays Macrinus, a former prisoner of war and slave who after earning his freedom via the gladiator’s arena now runs a combat training school (or ‘ludus’) all his own. But being the power-hungry man that he is, Marcrinus soon finds himself plotting to overthrow the two brother-emperors Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) and Geta (Joseph Quinn), both of whom he despises.
A spectacle of a character to behold, Macrinus plays an essential role to the story of Gladiator 2, as it is in his ludus that protagonist Lucuis (Paul Mescal) receives gladiator training following his capture and enslavement. Macrinus is also revealed as borderline gay, which adds an interesting twist to Washington’s performance.
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