In a few days, Gladiator II will premiere on the 2024 movies schedule, and with it will come Denzel Washington’s performance as Macrinus, which is already generating chatter about his Oscar chances. Washington has also recently said that he may be close to retirement, but don’t think that means he’s leaving the filmmaking world after the Gladiator sequel. He has a handful of other projects lined up, including Ryan Coogler writing a part for him in Black Panther 3. Washington’s comments revealing his involvement in the upcoming Marvel movie went viral, but I’m surprised he decided to do this considering how he thought he was “beyond the tights years” part of his career almost a decade ago.
On 60 Minutes: A Second Look - The Gladiator of Acting: Denzel Washington, a snippet of a conversation between Washington and reporter Bill Whitaker from 2016, the year the former’s movies The Magnificent Seven and Fences, was included in the podcast episode. During that interview, Whitaker brought up that it seemed like Washington had “done everything” but play a superhero. The reporter questioned if the actor just wasn’t interested in such a role, to which Washington answered:
I don't know man, tights, you gotta, I may be a little beyond the tights years, I don't know. I don't know.
Denzel Washington turned 62 at the end of 2016, so I can understand where he was coming on from on not being keen to put on a superhero or supervillain costume. Sure, Michael Keaton reprised his Batman last year in The Flash, but it’s one thing to reprise one of your most famous roles decades after the fact. It’s another to ask an older actor to play that kind of character for the first time and squeeze into the kind of costume that’s almost never comfortable.
Bill Whitaker followed up by saying that, “That's where the big money is,” to which Denzel Washington questioned who was saying such a claim, then adding:
The guys that have been wearing the tights? Nah, you know, one has to recognize one's limitations. I don't see myself, never say never, never know.
Almost 10 years later, now Washington is gearing up for what is one of the bigger upcoming superhero movies, although he doesn’t know what specifically Ryan Coogler has in mind for him in Black Panther 3. So what changed? If I had to guess, Washington will be involved in the next big screen exploration of Wakanda and its culture in a role where he doesn’t have to don any kind of elaborate, comic book-y costume. Maybe he’ll be a figure in the Wakandan kingdom who wears culturally-fitting attire, maybe he’ll be an American wearing your standard business suit. Whatever the case, I’m eager to learn how he’ll fit into the Black Panther 3 picture.
It hasn’t been announced yet when Black Panther 3 will be released, although Marvel Studios has blocked off two yet-to-be-revealed movies for February 13 and November 6, 2026. You can see Denzel Washington in Gladiator II starting Friday, November 22, and that’s also the same day that The Piano Lesson, which Washington produced, debuts to those who are signed up with a Netflix subscription.
