Sicario 3: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro & Josh Brolin Set to Return – Director Revealed

A major update on "Sicario 3"! Just recently, Josh Brolin mentioned that a sequel to the franchise was still in the works. Now we're learning about the main cast: According to the industry magazine Deadline, the lead actors from the first film will return for "Sicario 3"! That, of course, refers to Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Brolin. In addition, Deadline also announced the director and screenwriter.

Steven Knight is writing the screenplay

The big surprise: Taylor Sheridan isn't writing the script this time around. Sheridan had penned the screenplays for the first two "Sicario" films. This time, however, "Peaky Blinders" creator Steven Knight is taking the reins. Knight is certainly no stranger to thriller material. For example, he wrote the screenplay for David Cronenberg's gangster thriller "Eastern Promises." Most recently, he was also hired to write the screenplay for the new "James Bond" film. For that project, he is fittingly collaborating with Denis Villeneuve—the director of the first "Sicario" film.

Padraic McKinley to Direct Sicario 3

However, there won't be another collaboration between Knight and Villeneuve just yet. Instead, "Sicario 3" will be directed by Padraic McKinley. The longtime editor of numerous films and TV episodes recently made his feature film directorial debut on the big screen with "The Weight." According to Deadline, several candidates were considered for the director's chair on "Sicario 3"—and McKinley came out on top.

However, many fans are likely most excited about the return of the lead trio from the first film. Brolin's casting had already been considered relatively certain for some time. According to Deadline, the current draft of Knight's screenplay was presented to Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Brolin—and the trio was won over. In "Sicario 3," they will once again slip into their familiar roles.

Currently, McKinley and Knight are still working on the script, taking the three actors' input into account. So when can we expect "Sicario 3"? A release date has not yet been announced. Brolin recently told ScreenRant that production is set to begin "soon." Deadline is now reporting that filming is scheduled to begin "at the top of year". Based on this timeline, we can expect "Sicario 3" around 2028.

Here's what Sicario is about

Denis Villeneuve's first "Sicario" film hit theaters in 2015. The story centers on FBI agent Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt, who is assigned to a special unit fighting Mexican drug cartels. The team is led by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), while Benicio del Toro plays a central role as the mysterious Alejandro.

With "Sicario," Taylor Sheridan celebrated his first major Hollywood success as a screenwriter. Director Villeneuve once again demonstrated his great talent with this thriller and further solidified his standing in Hollywood. The thriller was particularly praised for its dark atmosphere, its uncompromising portrayal of the drug war, and Villeneuve's precise direction. Today, "Sicario" is widely recognized as one of the best thrillers of recent years.

Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado

The sequel, "Sicario: Day ot the Soldado" followed in 2018. While Emily Blunt did not return, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro once again took center stage as Matt Graver and Alejandro. This time, the film was directed by Italian filmmaker Stefano Sollima. The plot once again deals with the escalating conflict on the U.S.-Mexico border and veers even more strongly into the realm of the uncompromising action thriller. However, in the eyes of many critics and fans, "Sicario 2" did not quite live up to the quality of the first film.