When news first came to light that Black Label Media, the banner that backed Denis Villeneuve’s adorned actioner Sicario, was keen to engineer a sequel, it was almost as though April Fools’ Day came early.
But low and behold, six months later and the studio continues to drop hints that a follow-up is in the works, this time revealing that Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin – the core trio that anchored 2015’s FBI thriller – are on board to reprise their respective roles.
Word comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, where Molly Smith and Trent Luckinbill of Black Label noted that, “We’re in full development with the studio. I just got a draft [of a script from writer Taylor Sheridan], and we’re really excited.”
That’s perhaps more advanced than many had anticipated, although the main sticking point for the production company now will be whether to hold out for Denis Villeneuve to return at the helm – the director is currently bust at the helm of Warner’s Blade Runner 2 – or push ahead regardless.
Here, Smith and Luckinbill touch base on the script that Sheridan has cooked up:
“Taylor’s a really great world-builder. He’s got that kind of modern Western voice, which is in vogue right now. And he did it again [with the sequel]. It’s a great big world. We can’t reveal the plot, but you’ll see [Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin] all come back,” Lukinbill said.
Adding to this, Luckinbill teased that Sicario 2 would be more aligned with Del Toro’s character than Blunt’s rookie FBI agent:
“You have such a great character with Benicio, who was as dark as he was and still so loved. That character resonates so well with audiences. People want to know what happened to him, so it’s a perfect foray for us to explore. Obviously we would love it if Denis [Villeneuve] could [direct]. He’s a busy man, but he’s certainly part of the process with us right now.”
Sicario, one of the finest thrillers of 2015, is primed to get the sequel treatment for better or worse. Of course, it’s easy to be skeptical considering that Denis Villeneuve’s taut actioner doesn’t necessarily lend itself to an expansion, but if the core cast do indeed return, then we can muster a sense of cautious optimism.