After Denzel Washington Said He Would Be In Black Panther 3, Ryan Coogler Explained Why He's 'Fine' With That Information Being Revealed So Early

From left to right: Shuri as Black Panther in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Denzel Washington in Gladiator 2.
(Image credit: Marvel and Paramount Pictures)

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.

It seems certain that Kevin Feige and the higher-ups at Marvel Studios were probably a little annoyed that Denzel came out and said something like that. However, writer/director Ryan Coogler doesn’t mind so much. His relationship with Denzel is such that it seems he just can’t get upset, speaking on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, Coogler said…

Denzel is family at this point.

Coogler goes on to say that he knows Denzel well, and he knows the actor’s family as well. As such, the director admits he’s been trying to find a way to work with The Equalizer actor for a long time. Denzel himself has talked about what Black Panther meant to him, so the fact that these two will finally be working together is a big deal. Coogler continues…

I've been trying to work with him since [day one.] I think he's the greatest living actor, you know what I'm saying? In terms of what he means to our culture, forget about it, man. I've been talking to him about this for a long time. I was surprised when he mentioned it, but it's not like it's not true.

At the end of the day, Ryan Coogler says that there’s so much information about the film industry that isn’t true, that he can’t be too upset at Denzel talking about Black Panther 3, because at least in this case, it’s all true. The director admitted…

Bro, there's so much out there, you know how it is, bro, there's so much out there that's false. For there to be a truthful thing out there is fine.

Ryan Coogler certainly isn’t wrong. There are so many film rumors out there, and so many about Marvel movies specifically, that the majority of them turn out to be false. Filmmakers like James Gunn seem to spend a good chunk of time debunking rumors about their work while making their movies. So, at least when Denzel reveals the truth, there's less follow-up required.

The official list of upcoming Marvel movies is only four films long, with next month’s Fantastic Four, a pair of Avengers movies, and the next Spider-Man film. That only takes us through the end of next year. Where Black Panther 3 will appear on the Marvel schedule is far from clear, but it seems all but certain that it will and Denzel Washington will be in it.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.

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