Denzel Washington says he has ‘not that many’ films left to make before he retires — but one will be ‘Black Panther 3’

• Denzel Washington said he’s planning to retire after “working with the best” on a few more films.
• “I want to do things that I haven’t done,” he said, naming Hannibal and King Lear as future roles.
• He also said director Ryan Coogler is writing a role for him in “Black Panther 3.”

From the outside, Denzel Washington doesn’t seem to be slowing down. But the 69-year-old actor said he’s actively planning for retirement.

Washington, who will next star opposite Paul Mescal in “Gladiator II,” has a busy few years lined up: he’s already booked to play the ancient military general Hannibal in a Netflix film directed by Antoine Fuqua and to reprise the role of Othello in a Broadway revival of Shakespeare’s play.

In a recent interview with The Today Show Australia, Washington revealed that he’s also in talks with directors Steve McQueen and Ryan Coogler for future projects — but fans shouldn’t expect many more movies from him after that.

“At this point in my career, I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make, probably not that many,” Washington said. “I want to do things that I haven’t done.”

“I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70,” he continued. “After that, I’m 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 going to do the film ‘Othello.’ After that, I’m going to do ‘King Lear.’ After that, I’m going to retire.”

Marvel fans were quick to pounce on Washington’s comment about “Black Panther 3,” which the studio has not yet announced.

Coogler wrote and directed 2018’s Oscar-winning “Black Panther” and its 2022 sequel, “Wakanda Forever.” During the closing credits of “Wakanda Forever,” text on the screen explicitly promises that “Black Panther will return.” However, that may have been a teaser for the spin-off series in the works for Disney Plus, “Eyes of Wakanda” and “Ironheart.” BI’s requests for comment to Coogler and Disney did not receive an immediate response.

No official news has been shared about a third “Black Panther” film, but Marvel does have several other sequels on the docket, including “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Avengers: Doomsday,” and a fourth installment of “Spider-Man” starring Tom Holland.