Not every film needs a sequel, no matter how great it might be, which is why I was surprised to read that Lionsgate is developing a sequel to Denis Villeneuve's SICARIO, which won't open nationwide until October 2, 2015. Variety broke the news that the writer of SICARIO, Taylor Sheridan, is already overseeing the project which will also involve SICARIO director Denis Villeneuve in some fashion.
As this is still very early days it's not certain if Denis Villeneuve will return to direct, but the focus of the potential sequel is already clear; Benicio Del Toro's mysterious hitman character. Patrick Wachsberger, Lionsgate's co-chair, said "before the release of this movie, I was talking to Denis and I said what happened to this character? Where is Benicio going?” Lionsgate is also thrilled with how the film has been performing already, both critically and commercially, and Wachsberger clearly has Oscar on the brain; "this movie has multiple Oscar potential — best movie, best director, best cinematography, best music, and, of course, the actors." Time will tell, but it's a pretty easy bet that SICARIO will walk away with something at next year's Academy Awards.
SICARIO synopsis:
In Mexico, SICARIO means hitman. In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent [Emily Blunt] is enlisted by an elite government task force official [Josh Brolin] to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past [Benicio Del Toro], the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.
SICARIO opened in limited release on September 18, 2015, but will open wide on October 2, 2015. You can check out our own Chris Bumbray's glowing review of the film right here!