Sicario 3 Brings Back Emily Blunt With Steven Knight Writing

The third installment of the Sicario crime thriller franchise will reunite Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, with Steven Knight writing the screenplay and Padraic McKinley directing. According to Radio Times, filming is expected to begin in early 2027, although the production has not announced a release date or disclosed the plot.

The casting brings Blunt back as FBI agent Kate Macer, a central character in the original 2015 film who did not appear in the 2018 sequel. Brolin will reprise his role as CIA operative Matt Graver, while del Toro returns as assassin Alejandro Gillick.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Brolin said development of the screenplay remains underway. He described the project as being in the notes stage, indicating that work on the script is continuing.

Brolin also expressed enthusiasm about reuniting with his co-stars, highlighting the established relationships among the returning actors and his history of working with del Toro.

"We adore each other, and we've all worked together before. Benicio and I, this will be our sixth film together. It's fantastic [to work with Emily again].

I just sent her a little voice memo yesterday, and I just adore her, I adore her. I think the work right now has reached a level that's just untouchable," Brolin told ScreenRant.

The third film will continue the franchise without original screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, whose work helped establish the series. Radio Times reported that Knight, best known for creating Peaky Blinders, has written the screenplay, marking a change in the creative team behind the crime thriller.

The project will also have a new director in McKinley, whose previous credits include The Weight, a film starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. The production has kept the third installment's full title and storyline under wraps.

The original Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve and released in 2015, followed FBI agent Kate Macer as she joined a government task force targeting the leader of a violent Mexican drug cartel. The film also featured Daniel Kaluuya as Reggie Wayne, Macer's partner, and received three Academy Award nominations, including for its score and cinematography.

Its sequel, Sicario 2: Soldado, arrived in 2018 with Brolin and del Toro returning. Blunt did not reprise her role in that film, which added Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Matthew Modine and Catherine Keener to the cast.

The returning actors have continued working on other major productions. Radio Times reported that Blunt appeared in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Disclosure Day in 2026 and has been filming A Quiet Place Part III, directed by John Krasinski. Del Toro received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor for One Battle After Another, while Brolin is scheduled to appear in Whalefall and Dune: Part Three in December.