Benicio Del Toro Is Ready For Action In First Image From Sicario

Now that he’s been booked to helm a Blade Runner sequel that may star Ryan Gosling along with Harrison Ford, it’s fair to say that Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve has officially arrived. But the French-Canadian auteur has really been stunning critics ever since his Oscar-nominated breakout Incendies back in 2010, and the general public is just a little late to the party. Before he heads into blockbuster territory for that sequel, though, Villeneuve will unveil a smaller but also exciting project: drug trafficking thriller Sicario.

Lionsgate just unveiled the first official image from the film, which stars Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal and Victor Garber. Honestly, that cast alone would be enough to get most cinephiles in line for a ticket, but what’s really exciting about Sicario (other than that it’s that rare actioner that’s led by a strong female character, a refreshing break from long-standing tradition) is that it finds Villeneuve reteaming with his Prisoners cinematographer Roger Deakins, one of the most distinctive visual artists working today. A far cry from the shadowy, rain-soaked world of their last collaboration, Sicario is set in the sun-scorched U.S.-Mexico border region, and seeing what the pair will do with that haunting landscape should be a top priority for filmgoers this fall.

The official synopsis for Sicario reads as follows:

In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent [Emily Blunt] is exposed to the brutal world of international drug trafficking by members of a government task force [Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro] who have enlisted her in their plan to take out a Mexican cartel boss.

Given that Sons of Anarchy‘s Taylor Sheridan penned the script, it’s fair to expect a gritty and gripping thriller, and with a creative team as accomplished as this, it’s no wonder Sicario is considered one of this fall’s hottest tickets. The film opens in limited release on September 18th and will expand on September 25th.