Denzel Washington has shared that he’s planning to wind down his legendary career, providing a bit of a path to retirement – and naming Black Panther 3 as one of his final films.

In an interview with Australia’s Today show (which you can watch below), Washington, who’s currently promoting Gladiator II, hinted at a careful selection of last roles, saying, “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make—it’s probably not that many.”

Washington revealed that Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler is writing him a part in the third instalment of the franchise. Marvel Studios has yet to formally announce Black Panther 3.

Washington’s involvement in Black Panther 3 is particularly poignant given his quiet but significant role in the career of the late Chadwick Boseman, who once revealed that Washington had covered his tuition for an acting programme. “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington,” Boseman famously said, honouring his mentor.

Apart from Black Panther 3, Washington shared plans for an ambitious schedule that includes a return to Shakespeare with Othello, a role he originally tackled in his twenties. “I played Othello at 22; I’m now going to play it at 70,” he shared. The schedule also includes Hannibal, an epic war film to directed by his Training Day, The Magnificent Seven, and The Equalizer helmer Antoine Fuqua, and a collaboration with filmmaker Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave).

“After King Lear, I’m going to retire,” he said. It’s a little hard to tell whether or not Washington was injecting any jest when mentioning his retirement plan, but either way, it appears that the screen star is seriously looking at the last chapters of an extraordinary career.