The two ‘Sicario’ films are very interesting thrillers to discuss. The first one, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is one of the better action thrillers in recent memory, and it actually cemented screenwriter Taylor Sheridan as a force in Hollywood. The sequel, ‘Day of the Soldado,’ saw the return of Sheridan but included director Stefano Sollima. That film wasn’t as well-received, though I would suggest people rewatch it on its own merits. It’s not anywhere near as good as the original, but the action and performances are still stellar. But I digress. The news today is about “Sicario 3,” a film which has been rumored to be happening for a while but is now seemingly closer than ever before. Not just that, the names involved make “Sicario 3” one of the most anticipated films of the next couple of years.
READ MORE: ‘Sicario’ Producers Confirm That A Third Film With Benicio Del Toro Is On The Way
Speaking in a series of interviews with Collider, producers Molly Smith and Trent Luckinbill updated us on the current status of “Sicario 3.” And while there are no plot specifics to discuss, there appears to be quite a bit of forward momentum, not just with the script, but with the original cast (Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio del Toro) being interested in returning, as well as some high-level filmmakers having mysterious involvement.
“Our idea is to get the cast back together with Benicio, Emily, and Josh, and we’ve got a great story to tell,” said Smith. “Benicio, by nature of just working with us most recently, has been probably the closest to it at the moment. But we’re keeping all the talent informed. They’ve stayed close to it. Like Trent said, the strike has just slowed us down a bit on this last draft, but I think everybody is very excited. Everyone sort of knows the framework of the story and is very excited to, hopefully, get our shooting draft in order very soon.”
You have to assume something exciting is happening with the story if Blunt is ready to return. Both Brolin and del Toro were involved with ‘Day of the Soldado,’ but this is the first mention of Blunt wanting to make a return. But if a script is being wrapped up and a cast circling to return, who is going to be behind the camera? And who is actually writing the script? We still don’t know. But Smith hints at a couple of exciting names working as “great partners” on the film.
“But we don’t know who’s going to direct yet. It’s all gonna be about timing,” said Smith. “We’ve got obviously a wealth of great partners on it, everybody from Taylor Sheridan to Chris McQuarrie as a partner on it, but it’ll all be about the timing and what aligns with everyone’s schedule.”
Film fans are immediately going to see the mention of McQuarrie (who has been knee-deep in “Mission: Impossible” films lately) and start to imagine him as the director. That doesn’t really seem possible, as the ‘M:I’ franchise is still ongoing and he’s expected to return to direct the eighth film soon enough. But perhaps as a co-writer? Or maybe a producer?
Obviously, Sheridan is able to write a script in about a day, so it isn’t all that surprising that he is involved in some way. Though again, the producers aren’t ready to explain just how involved Sheridan is with the new movie.
“He is so busy, and he stays close to it, and will obviously have input, too,” Luckinbill said. “Then it’s just a question of when we get schedules lined up and all of that starting to have real conversations to see who’s available and who wants to do it. So certainly, I think everybody that’s ever been involved with this has stayed really close and has stayed fans of it. So, we’ll just push forward and see what lines up and who lines up in our window.”
So, it would appear “Sicario 3” is happening fairly soon. And not only that, it’s going to have some really big names attached, both in front of and behind the camera. Hopefully, it comes together soon enough and it can live up to the phenomenal original film.
