A major Marvel sequel just got confirmed by one of its stars

The Marvel Cinematic Universe loves sequels. Heck, if you think about it; 33 of its 34 movies are essentially sequels, carrying on the story of the shared universe that first made its presence felt in 2008's Iron Man. But even if you don't class them as sequels, there are sequels within the franchise.

Within the 34 movies, Iron Man was the star of his own trilogy, as was Captain America, Ant-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spider-Man. Thor has produced four movies thus far, while fourth installments of the Spider-Man and Captain America franchises are on the way too. Oh yeah, and The Avengers have led four movies thus far, with two more in development.

But sequels aren't guaranteed, as recent reports suggest that Eternals 2, Ant-Man 4, and Captain Marvel 3 may have been scrapped by the studio after their predecessors underperformed. And that raises questions about some of the other sequels that have been rumored but never confirmed. Will those movies come to fruition? It sounds like one of them is indeed in the works, as an unexpected actor has seemingly confirmed it.

Denzel Washington confirms Black Panther 3 is in the works, says he will be involved

Legendary movie star Denzel Washington recently appeared on The TODAY Show to discuss his upcoming starring role in Gladiator II and, in doing so, he dropped quite the bombshell. Upon revealing that he plans on returing from acting after a number of upcoming roles, he revealed that Ryan Coogler is currently writing a part for him in Black Panther 3, seemingly confirming that the long-rumored movie is actually happening at Marvel Studios.

The second Black Panther movie, Wakanda Forever, was released in November 2022 and even though it received praise from critics and was a box office success, it has been unclear if a third movie would come. That film served as a beautiful tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman, the star of the first movie who sadly passed away in 2020, and it did so by honoring his character - the Black Panther, T'Challa - and having Shuri carry on her brother's legacy.

It was unclear where the franchise would go next. While Shuri is expected to return as the new Black Panther, Marvel has yet to officially announce whether the third movie was happening or not (or if the character would simply return in the upcoming Avengers movies). Ryan Coogler, who directed the first two movies, revealed in 2023 that he would be happy to continue exploring the world of Wakanda "as long as folks will have [him]" at Marvel. While Letitia Wright did say she "thinks" that there will be another film, she also wasn't able to confirm whether Marvel had greenlit the project or not.

Washington's announcement does appear to confirm that the studio is working on it behind the scenes for the moment. And if this is the case, it would support the rumors of a third movie that have been doing the rounds over the past year. While no story details have surfaced as of yet, one report suggests that a third Black Panther movie would focus on T'Challa's son, who eventually takes over the mantle from his aunt and becomes Wakanda's next Black Panther.

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but it does sound like Black Panther 3 is happening. The question is: Who could Denzel Washington be playing?