Denzel Washington let it slip that Ryan Coogler is writing him a role in Black Panther 3 during an interview on Today Show Australia about the upcoming Gladiator II.

At the age of 69, Washington says he wants his roles to challenge him.

“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. I want to do things that I haven’t done,” he said.

“I played Othello at 22, I’m now going to play it at 70. After that, I’m playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking with Steve McQueen about a film.”

Then, Washington proclaimed he will soon be visiting Wakanda.

“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 smiled and threw up two peace signs after saying he plans to retire following all that Shakespeare.

More About Denzel Washington and Black Panther 3

Also Read: The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Ending Makes No Sense

Following the magical African nation of Wakanda, the first Black Panther came out in 2018, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide. Directed by Coogler, it starred the late Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa, who turns into a superhero called the Black Panther. He starred alongside Letitia Wright, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, and Winston Duke.

The second Black Panther film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, came out in 2022, two years after Boseman died of cancer.

Not much is currently known about Black Panther 3, and Marvel Studios has not officially confirmed that it’s being made yet. Reps for Marvel Studios did not immediately respond to MovieMaker‘s request for comment Tuesday, nor did reps for Coogler.

You can see Washington’s full interview below.

More About Washington’s Role in Gladiator II

Washington plays the Roman emperor Macrinus in the Ridley Scott epic Gladiator II — and Macrinus was actually a real person.

The Gladiator films take place in ancient Rome, though we should note that the movie may not necessarily cover the real history of the Roman empire, since it’s fictionalized, so we don’t intend to give any spoilers here. But we can tell you about the true history behind the inspiration for Washington’s character.

The real life Macrinus was the emperor of Rome from April 217 to June 218 AD. He reigned jointly with his young son Diadumenianus. They were of Berber origin, an ethnic group that was descended from the Stone Age tribes of North Africa. They pre-dated the arrival of Arabs in that region, and spoke Afro-Asiatic languages like Amazigh, which is related to ancient Egyptian.

Denzel Washington as Macrinus in Gladiator II, Paramount Pictures – Credit: C/O

The original Gladiator takes place from 180 to 192 AD, and Gladiator II picks up multiple years after Gladiator ends. So at the start of the sequel, Macrinus is not yet the emperor of Rome — but he is a powerful presence.

“Denzel is an arms dealer who supplies food for the armies in Europe, supplies wine and oil, makes steel, makes spears, weapons, cannons, and catapults. So he is a very wealthy man. Instead of having a stable of racehorses, he has a stable of gladiators,” Scott told Vanity Fair of Macrinus. “He’s beautiful. He drives a golden Ferrari. I got him a gold-plated chariot.”

Washington’s Macrinus and Mescal’s gladiator character, Lucius, have an important relationship in the new movie, which arrives in theaters on Friday.

Main Image: Denzel Washington as Macbeth in Joel Coen’s interpretation of the Shakespeare play.