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.

Director Ryan Coogler has confirmed that Denzel Washington will appear in the third Black Panther movie. Two-time Oscar winner Washington, 70, previously revealed that Coogler, who helmed 2018’s Black Panther and its 2022 follow-up Wakanda Forever, was writing him a part.