‘Sicario 3’ might finally be happening as Taylor Sheridan returns to write script
Taylor Sheridan has completed the script for ‘Sicario 3’, moving the long-awaited crime thriller another step ahead. The update comes as the ‘Yellowstone’ creator prepares to begin a new film deal with NBCUniversal after nearly a decade working with Paramount. According to Variety, Sheridan wrote the scripts for Paramount’s upcoming ‘Call of Duty’ movie and the third ‘Sicario’ instalment. The news follows actor Josh Brolin’s confirmation in August that the sequel was moving forward. Brolin is expected to return as CIA operative Matt Graver, although further casting and production details remain unannounced.
Sheridan’s agreement with NBCUniversal covers both film and television projects, but the two arrangements have different start dates. The film component takes effect in 2026, while the television deal begins after he fulfils his existing contractual obligations to Paramount in 2028. NBCUniversal Entertainment chair Donna Langley discussed the negotiations at Bloomberg’s Screentime event. She said the initial conversations focused on film and explained that Sheridan’s previous Paramount film agreement was a first-look deal, which carried less weight than his television arrangement. “There’s just a moment to kind of look around the marketplace and see if there’s a competitive advantage,” Langley said.
Langley added that the discussions eventually expanded into a broader agreement. Her comments offer insight into NBCUniversal’s decision to pursue Sheridan, whose work has made him a prominent figure in television and film. However, the new agreement does not establish a change of studio for ‘Sicario 3’. Variety continues to identify the sequel as a Paramount project, and its report does not announce a move to Universal. Benicio del Toro, who played cartel assassin Alejandro Gillick in the first two films, has not officially confirmed his return. Emily Blunt’s FBI agent Kate Macer appeared in the original film but was absent from the 2018 sequel.
The franchise began with Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Sicario’ in 2015. The story followed Macer as she joined a government task force targeting Mexican drug cartels and encountered the brutal methods used in its operations. The film received critical acclaim and earned three Academy Award nominations. Stefano Sollima directed the follow-up, ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’, which arrived in 2018. The sequel brought back Brolin and Del Toro, shifting the focus towards their characters and their covert missions.
‘Sicario’ was an important part of Sheridan’s screenwriting career before his television work expanded. His other film credits include ‘Hell or High Water’ and ‘Wind River’, which further established his reputation for crime dramas and stories set in the modern American West. His other television projects include ‘Mayor of Kingstown’, ‘Lioness’ and ‘Landman’, several of which have been associated with Paramount. Paramount has not announced a release date for ‘Sicario 3’. The film’s schedule will become clearer once the studio confirms further production plans.
