Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin appear ready to return to the world of Sicario. Sources tell Deadline that Black Label Media and Thunder Road are reuniting the original team for Sicario 3, with Padraic McKinley set to direct and Oscar-nominated writer Steven Knight penning the screenplay. Plot details are currently being kept under wraps.
Created by Taylor Sheridan, the Sicario franchise began in 2015 with the release of the first film, which became a surprise hit. Alongside standout performances from Blunt, Del Toro and Brolin, the movie further established Denis Villeneuve as one of Hollywood’s leading directors.
A sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, was later greenlit, with Del Toro and Brolin returning to reprise their roles. The film was released in 2018 and continued to build on the success of the original.
The franchise’s popularity has continued to grow in the years since, and sources say all three stars were eager to return after reading Knight’s latest draft of the third installment.
Finding the right director, however, took some time. Black Label Media and Thunder Road producers met with a number of potential filmmakers, while the lead cast also participated in meetings with candidates. Ultimately, McKinley emerged as the standout choice and landed the directing job.
McKinley and Knight are currently continuing to develop the screenplay, incorporating notes from the returning stars. Production is reportedly targeting the beginning of next year.
Lionsgate distributed the first two Sicario films, but sources say the plan for the third movie is to take the project to the open market. Several studios are already said to be interested in the package.
Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill will produce for Black Label Media, while Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee will produce for Thunder Road. Ed McDonnell is also returning as a producer.
Blunt was most recently seen in the hit sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 and has recently wrapped production on A Quiet Place Part 3. Brolin will next appear in 20th Century’s Whalefall, starring alongside Austin Abrams and set to open October 16. Del Toro, meanwhile, is coming off an Oscar nomination for his performance in One Battle After Another.
Email: neill@outloudculture.com
