Denzel Washington let slip that he's involved in the still-unannounced third installment of Black Panther, and now he's shared that he called director-writer Ryan Coogler to apologize.
Last month, the two-time Oscar winner let slip that he could be in the next Black Panther movie—and leaked news of its existence with his comments.
On an episode of the Variety podcast Awards Circuit, Washington was asked about his potential collaboration with Coogler, who helmed the previous two films in the Marvel series.
"Ryan's a genius," he said while refusing to dish out any details about the project. "I called him and apologized for talking about the movie, and right there sitting with him was his beautiful wife. He's still Ryan, humble and full of ideas. Whatever he writes, I'll read."
Coogler is currently busy working on the post-production for his new horror movie Sinners, which stars his frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan in the dual lead roles. It's due to hit theaters in March next year, and his next project has yet to be confirmed.
During recent promotion for Gladiator II, Washington indicated that Black Panther 3 was in the planning stages and that Coogler was writing a part with him in mind.
"Ryan Coogler’s writing a part for me in the next Black Panther," Washington casually said while listing some of his upcoming projects.
Washington has a number of projects lined up, with Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest being the most immediate. The movie, an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, will also star Ice Spice and ASAP Rocky.