Original franchise leads Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin are officially reuniting for Sicario 3, marking the long-anticipated third installment in the critically acclaimed cartel-thriller series.
Padraic McKinley (The Weight) has been attached to direct the feature, taking over the helm from Stefano Sollima, who helmed 2018’s Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and Denis Villeneuve, who directed the 2015 original. In another significant creative shift, Academy Award nominee Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, Eastern Promises) is penning the screenplay, taking the reins from franchise creator Taylor Sheridan, who scripted the first two entries.
The production reunites the core dynamic that anchored the 2015 original: Del Toro as ruthless operative Alejandro Gillick, Brolin as cynical CIA officer Matt Graver, and Blunt as FBI Special Agent Kate Macer. Blunt notably sat out the 2018 sequel, which focused primarily on Graver and Gillick triggering a cartel war along the U.S.–Mexico border.
Plot details for the third chapter remain closely guarded, though producers have consistently framed the project as the definitive conclusion to a planned trilogy. McKinley is currently refining the script alongside Knight, integrating input from the three returning leads ahead of a planned production start in early 2027.
Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, and Thad Luckinbill are producing for Black Label Media alongside Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee for Thunder Road, with Ed McDonnell also serving as producer. While Lionsgate distributed the previous two installments, the production packages the project as an open-market package and plans to shop domestic and international distribution rights to studio suitors in the coming weeks.
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