In an interview last year with JOE.ie, Denzel Washington claimed that he hadn’t been approached for a role in the Marvel franchise but suggested that he’d be open to getting involved, remarking, “never say never,” when asked if he’d ever step into the genre of comic book cinema.
Jump to the present day, and the idea of Washington in the MCU remains only the stuff of fan fiction, but if you ask Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a vacancy for the Oscar-winner in this ever-expanding franchise.
In the midst of promoting his upcoming crime thriller 21 Bridges, Boseman briefly touched on the notion of Washington in the Marvel movies, telling JOE.ie:
“If he wants to do it, I’m sure there’s a place for him.”
Incidentally, while speaking with JOE.co.uk last year, Washington had some kind words to say about Black Panther, recalling how the success of T’Challa’s solo debut made him “shed a tear.” With that in mind, perhaps there’s a place for Washington opposite Boseman in the film’s highly anticipated sequel, but if not, then Marvel’s insanely busy release schedule for the next few years suggests plenty more opportunities for Washington to make an appearance.
As for Boseman, the actor told JOE.ie that while he’s excited for Black Panther 2, he has enough on his plate to keep him busy in the meantime:
“For me, I know that that’s there. And so, I’ll get excited about it when it comes up. As far as story points, there are some things I’m like, ‘That’s gonna be cool.’ But right now, I just live in the moment. I deal with the movies that I’m shooting right now. So I’m excited about everything that’s happening before we do Panther.”
Boseman’s first big screen outing since Avengers: Endgame is Brian Kirk’s 21 Bridges, which is scheduled to hit theaters on November 22nd. Beyond that, the star is also set to appear opposite Viola Davis in the upcoming period drama Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, but you can see him back in the MCU when Black Panther 2 hits theaters on May 6th, 2022.