Denzel Washington's role in 'Black Panther 3' confirmed

Denzel Washington has been confirmed to star in the third installment of Black Panther.

The confirmation came during the June 5 episode of the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast where Black Panther director Ryan Coogler made an appearance.

“Denzel is family at this point…I’ve been trying to work with him since day one,” the 39-year-old filmmaker told host Carmelo Anthony.

“I think he’s the greatest living actor, and in terms of what he means to our culture, forget about it. I’ve been talking to him about this for a long time.”

The collaboration was teased last November when Washington spilled to Australian Today that Coogler was “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,” per Variety.

At the time, Coogler shared his surprise in a statement, adding, "It's not like it's not true."

Black Panther 3 is scheduled to hit theaters in February 2028, according to IMDb.

In the meantime, Washington will first be appearing in Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee.