Admittedly, no one was really asking for a Sicario sequel. Don’t get us wrong, Denis Villeneuve’s drug thriller was an excellent piece of filmmaking – taut, smart and full of great performances. But at the same time, it wrapped up on a satisfying note and didn’t really seem like the type of story that needed to be extended any further. Apparently though, not everyone felt that way and much to the surprise of moviegoers everywhere, Soldado was announced a while back, with scribe Taylor Sheridan returning to pen the script.
It’s still early days on the project, but given that neither Villeneuve nor Emily Blunt will be back, we certainly have some hesitations about how it all may turn out. That being said, both Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin will return, while Stefano Sollima, who’s responsible for television’s Gomorrah, will be in the director’s chair. That’s a considerable amount of talent, and it does go some way to alleviate our concerns about the sequel – which is apparently like Sicario on steroids.
In fact, it may not even be fair to call it a sequel, as we’ve been hearing from those involved that it’s actually more of a spinoff. Confirming that fact is Jeffrey Donovan, who recently spoke with Collider and revealed a few plot details for Soldado, saying the following:
“I know I was in it, but as a fan of Sicario, I can’t believe they’re making another one, which is so awesome. And I’m in it, which is even more awesome. I thought Sicario was one of the best films, in the last five years, that I’ve seen. I really believe that. I was just lucky to be in a small portion of it.
The story picks up with the same male characters that were in Sicario, which was Josh [Brolin] and Benicio [Del Toro]. Emily Blunt’s character is not in it, but my character, Forsing, is also brought back. It focuses on these three characters now, going down into Mexico to basically start a war, on purpose, between the rival Mexican cartels. There’s a bigger reason for it, but that’s the beginning of the movie.
“It’s more of a stand-alone spin-off. It’s not a sequel or a prequel. It really is yet another examination told from this male point of view, rather than from a female point of view. It’s pretty cool.”
So, it definitely sounds promising then, but it’s also tough to fully buy into Soldado just yet since like we said above, we’re not too sure Sicario warranted a sequel, or a spinoff, or whatever this film will ultimately ends up taking shape as.
Still, Sheridan returning is an encouraging sign and the fact that it’s going to be more of a stand-alone experience may just help its cause. Regardless, we can safely say that at the very least, we’re intrigued by the project and will certainly continue to keep a close eye on it as it develops further
