Denzel Washington made waves in November when he revealed that he plans to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before he retires. While promoting Gladiator II on Australia’s Today show, the two-time Oscar winner surprised everyone by announcing, “[Black Panther director] Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next Black Panther.” The news understandably came as a shock to comic book fans, given that Marvel hasn’t even announced Black Panther 3 yet, let alone whether Coogler will be returning to helm the project.
Now, it looks like Washington’s comment may have come as a bit of a surprise to Coogler himself. During an appearance on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, Washington revealed that he called the filmmaker recently to apologize for spilling the beans about his involvement in Black Panther 3. “I called him the other day. I forgot what it was about — no, I called him to apologize,” Washington said. “I said, ‘I’m sorry, man.’ He’s like, ‘No, man, it’s all good.'”
The actor went on to admit that he doesn’t know exactly what Coogler has planned for him in Black Panther 3, only that he’s going to be included in the film. “I don’t know what he’s got cooking for me,” Washington explained. “I love Ryan, because he’s like, he won’t say things. ‘You know what I’m saying? Like, you know what I’m saying?’ Well, at least that’s when he talks to me.”
“I’m like, ‘No, I don’t know what you’re saying, Ryan, say it!'” the actor continued. “That’s how he sounds, right? ‘Yeah, you know what I’m saying?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, are you kidding me? Just write it! Whatever you write, I’ll do it.'”
Fans will likely have to wait a bit to learn more about Coogler and Washington’s Black Panther 3 collaboration. Coogler is currently in the midst of finishing his next film, Sinners, an original horror movie starring Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld that’s set to hit theaters in March. Whether or not he chooses Black Panther 3 as his follow-up to that film remains to be seen. Washington, for his part, is next set to appear in Highest 2 Lowest, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low that marks a reunion between the actor and director Spike Lee.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.