Michael B. Jordan is a stellar actor, and people are now wondering if he’s the heir to the throne of one of the gold standards of Black Hollywood, Denzel Washington.

Essence reports how a viral tweet compared Jordan’s career to Washington’s, especially since Jordan is starring in A Journal For Jordan, directed by Washington.

“I’m having a debate, would y’all agree that Michael B. Jordan is the next Denzel of our generation?” one commenter on Twitter asked.

I’m having a debate, would y’all agree that Michael B Jordan is the next Denzel of our generation?
— KB (@KBxScoe) August 12, 2021

While a lot of responders felt that there were other candidates for the title of Next Denzel, such as Washington’s son John David Washington, TMZ asked Jordan how he felt about being compared to Washington.

“That’s my mentor, man,” he said. “It’s all love, man.”

Jordan told USA Today that working with Washington is a special experience.

“Everybody wants to work with him, and he’s a very selective guy,” he said. “So the fact that he wanted to work with me was a huge deal for me.”

Other movie stars fans felt could vie for Washington’s throne included Winston Duke, Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Majors, Daniel Kaluuya, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. But there’s also the fact that there’s only one Denzel Washington, a star who simply can’t be replaced. All of these actors bring something unique and necessary to the table when it comes to Black representation.

Journal For Jordan, starring Jordan and Chanté Adams, is based on Dana Canedy’s bestselling memoir and tells the true story of Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), who keeps a journal for his infant son Jordan while deployed in Iraq. Meanwhile, Canedy (Adams), a New York Times editor, reflects on her love story with King. The romance is described by the film’s description as “a sweeping account of a once-in-a-lifetime love” and the film itself is described as “a powerful reminder of the importance of family and the all-too-human cost of war.” Journal For Jordan will come to theaters this December.

Journal for Jordan