Lionsgate is developing a sequel to “Sicario” that will center on Benicio Del Toro’s mysterious hitman.
The project is being overseen by Taylor Sheridan, the writer of the acclaimed thriller. Director Denis Villeneuve is also involved, although it’s early in the process and it’s not clear if he would come on board to direct.
“Before the release of this movie, I was talking to Denis and I said what happened to this character?” said Patrick Wachsberger, co-chair of the studio’s motion picture group. “Where is Benicio going?”
The studio executive was thrilled Monday after “Sicario” debuted to a sizzling $401,288 last weekend from just six theaters. Its per-screen average of $66,881 is the highest of the year.
The film centers on a steely FBI agent (Emily Blunt) who finds herself involved in an off-the-books operation to bring down a Mexican drug kingpin. Josh Brolin co-stars as a morally flexible government operative. Lionsgate is planning an Oscar campaign, Wachsberger said.
“This movie has multiple Oscar potential — best movie, best director, best cinematography, best music, and, of course, the actors,” he said. “All of the characters feel real.”
He added that he hoped that “Sicario” with its eerie shots of nighttime raids and violent border cronfrontations might finally score an Oscar for Roger Deakins, who is zero for twelve despite nominations for the likes of “Unbroken,” “Fargo,” and “Skyfall,” calling the award, “past due.”
No way Deakins is getting the oscar. Has he SEEN the trailer for The Revenant?
The Deakster don't need one it's fairly obvious he isn't going to win one in his lifetime. A posthumous one no doubt. It won't tarnish his legacy if he doesn't he's still one of the finest to do what he does.
He was the best part of Sicario by far and I hope Benicio gets an Oscar nom, but his story arc was complete and any sequel or prequel would just take the mystique away from the character.
It didn’t exactly light the box-office on fire, but Denis Villeneuve‘s intense thriller Sicario — one of our favorite films of last year — made over double its modest $30 million budget back worldwide. In Hollywood, that means a sequel is at least discussed, which we got confirmation of last year, but it looks like it’s actually moving forward — and this is no April Fool’s Day joke.
We knew the writer of the original Taylor Sheridan was working on a script with the focus on Benicio Del Toro‘s hitman character, but they won’t be the only ones returning. In a profile over at THR of the production company Black Label Media, they confirm they are in “full development” of the project, with a draft of the script recently delivered. They note that “everybody” from the original cast is on board, including Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin.
“Taylor’s a really great world-builder,” producer Trent Luckinbill said. “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. 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.”
The question remains if Denis Villeneuve would return. Considering he’s tied up until late into next year with Blade Runner 2, we’d think they might look into other options, even if he’s their top choice. They confirmed as much, saying, “Obviously we would love it if Denis could [direct]. He’s a busy man, but he’s certainly part of the process with us right now.” As much as I enjoyed Sicario, if Villeneuve and especially Roger Deakins weren’t coming back, I can’t say I could muster up much anticipation. Del Toro’s character was an interesting one, especially as he took over much of the last act, but I’d rather keep the mystery of his background on the table.
Overrated movie. It's a good enough little thriller but when it starts thinking that it's making some radically new statement on the War on Drugs, it falls flat on its face. Traffic did the same thing much better 15 years ago. But Benicio and Brolin were awesome, so if they're on board then I'll check out the sequel. Just probably not in theaters.
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Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
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