Sicario 3 Producers Say The Threequel Will Bring Back Emily Blunt's Character

A third "Sicario" movie still seems to be in the works, and according to an interview producers recently gave Collider, there's a good chance it'll get the original band back together. Producers Trent Luckinbill and Molly Smith spoke to the outlet about the potential third film, revealing that their idea for it involves not just Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin's characters (who both appeared in the less fully embraced sequel "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" in 2018), but also Emily Blunt's, who hasn't been seen since the 2015 original.

"Our idea is to get the cast back together with Benicio, Emily, and Josh, and we've got a great story to tell," Smith told Collider. The last time audiences saw Blunt's FBI special agent Kate Macer, she was mulling over the idea of killing Del Toro's Alejandro, a CIA-trained assassin who oversaw the team's cartel-catching mission and went way too far in the process. Instead, Kate signed paperwork saying the mission was all above board, and Alejandro went on to rack up more bodies in the sequel. Brolin also appeared in the sequel, reprising his role as CIA agent Matt Graver.

"Benicio, by nature of just working with us most recently, has been probably the closest to it at the moment," Smith told Collider, "But we're keeping all the talent informed. They've stayed close to it." In May 2022, Brolin told The Hollywood Reporter that the sequel had been written, saying, "It's out there. We think it deserves a third one if we can make it in the way that we want to make it." 

Brolin mentioned rewrites at the time, and judging by the producers' latest quotes, it sounds like those may have still been going on when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes effectively shut down Hollywood earlier this year. "Like Trent said, the strike has just slowed us down a bit on this last draft, but I think everybody is very excited," Smith told the outlet.

Brolin also opened up this year about difficulties getting the film made, telling Variety, "'Sicario 3,' we've been trying to get that right and get that going, but why hasn't it happened? How long can you wait?" He called the third installment "a tough movie to get made" despite the fact that the first two were lucrative and people often ask him about a third film. Though it now sounds like the movie is a pretty sure bet, it's worth noting that upon release, "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" ended up at the center of an impassioned social media discourse about the portrayal of Mexican culture and drug cartels on screen. Taylor Sheridan, who wrote both films, has also been scrutinized for his methods and attitudes as a writer after a THR profile full of polarizing sound bites dropped in June.

Still, "Sicario 3" seems to be in the works, and Blunt's morally compromised agent will hopefully return. "Everyone sort of knows the framework of the story and is very excited to, hopefully, get our shooting draft in order very soon," Smith told Collider. The untitled sequel does not yet have a release date.