Josh Brolin says the long-rumored third “Sicario” film has finally cleared development limbo, telling ScreenRant that the project “is happening” and that production is set to begin “soon.” The actor, who has played CIA officer Matt Graver in both prior installments, offered the update while promoting Ridley Scott’s “The Dog Stars,” marking his most definitive comment yet on a sequel that’s been stuck in various stages of writing since 2018.
Brolin’s tone has shifted considerably over the years. A year ago he described the project as “very, very real” but admitted he had no idea whether original director Denis Villeneuve would return. Villeneuve, who helmed the 2015 original, has since become tied up with the “Dune” trilogy and is now attached to direct a James Bond film, making his involvement in a third “Sicario” unlikely. Stefano Sollima directed 2018’s “Day of the Soldado,” which drew a mixed critical response but performed well enough to justify continued interest in the franchise.
No director is currently attached. Christopher McQuarrie, the “Mission: Impossible” filmmaker once rumored for the job, was confirmed as a partner on the project in 2023 but Brolin said in 2024 that McQuarrie was no longer involved. Producer Molly Smith has since described McQuarrie’s role only vaguely, and his crowded slate — including a “Battlefield” adaptation — makes a directing job there uncertain. It also remains unclear whether Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the first two films, has penned the third; Sheridan’s attention has largely shifted to his television slate, which now spans “Yellowstone” spinoffs “Dutton Ranch” and “Marshals” alongside “Landman,” “The Madison,” “Lioness,” “Tulsa King” and “Mayor of Kingstown.”
Reported under the working title “Sicario: Capos,” the film would pick up after “Day of the Soldado,” in which Benicio del Toro’s Alejandro Gillick survives an ambush and begins mentoring a young protégé. Del Toro is expected to return, and speculation continues over whether Emily Blunt, absent from the second film, might reprise her role as FBI agent Kate Macer. Jeffrey Donovan and Raoul Trujillo are the only other actors confirmed to have appeared in both previous entries.
The delays trace back years, touching the 2023 writers’ strike and repeated false starts producers Molly Smith and Thad Luckinbill once called “right around the corner.” The first two films grossed a combined $160 million worldwide. Brolin offered no timeline for casting news or a release date, saying only that the wait is nearly over.
