I’m shocked to learn that the director ofSicario: Day of the Soldadowasn’t intimidated at all when he signed on to direct the sequel, since the first movie is so highly acclaimed. The firstSicariomovie wasdirected by Denis Villeneuve, who has been regarded as one of the best directors of this century. Upon its release,reviews forSicariowere incredible. In addition to its 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (viaRotten Tomatoes), Screen Rant also gaveSicarioan amazing score of 9 out of 10.
In addition toSicario’scritical success, it was also profitable at the box office. The movie’s $84 million box office haul led to a sequel being greenlit. Just like the first film,Sicario: Day of the Soldadowas alsowritten by Taylor Sheridan, who has become immensely popular for writing shows such asYellowstone,Mayor of Kingstown, andTulsa King. However, Villeneuve did not return to direct the sequel to his 2015 film. Instead, Stefano Sollima signed on to directSicario: Day of the Soldado. Despite the first film’s great reviews,Sollima wasn’t intimidated when directing the secondSicariomovie.
Sicario 2’s Director Wasn’t Intimidated By Following Up Villeneuve’s Sicario Thanks To Sheridan’s Script
Taylor Sheridan Has Written Several Amazing Movies
While it would have been understandable for Sollima to be worried thatSicario: Day of the Soldadowouldn’t be received as well as the first film, the director has claimed that he was always confident in the project because of Sheridan’s script. Before receiving immense acclaim forYellowstoneand its spinoffs, Sheridan wrote several critically acclaimed movies. Therefore, in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterin 2018,Sollima claimed that he never doubted his decision to directSicario: Day of the Soldadobecause he loved Sheridan’s script. He said:
No, I wasn’t intimidated because Taylor’s script was the kind of movie I love to watch in theaters — and love to make as a filmmaker. I really didn’t struggle with the decision. Out of respect forSicario,the only thing I asked the producers was that I have the ability to find and choose a completely new crew. I felt this was the only way to makeSoldadoa standalone piece, a goal the producers also shared.
Sollima’s comments prove how strong Sheridan’s script forSicario: Day of the Soldadowas. Over the years,Villeneuve has also claimed that Sheridan is one of the best screenwriters he’s ever worked with. In addition to bothSicariofilms, Sheridan also wrote critically acclaimed movies likeHell or High WaterandWind River. Therefore, even though making a sequel toSicariowas risky, Sollima never believed he had any reason to be worried about the project since Sheridan was such an effective writer.
How Stefano Sollima’s Sicario: Day of the Soldado Was Different From Denis Villeneuve’s Movie
Multiple Sicario Characters Did Not Return For Day Of The Soldado
Even though Sollima thought Sheridan’s script for the sequel was amazing,reviews forSicario: Day of the Soldadowere disappointing. Screen Rant gave the movie a 5 out of 10, and its score of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes is significantly lower than the first film (viaRotten Tomatoes). Based on his above comments, Sollima chose a new crew for the sequel, which isn’t surprising sinceSicario: Day of the Soldadofeels like a much different movie from the first film.
Taylor Sheridan Needs To Team Up With This Acclaimed Director Again To Complete Their $160 Million Action Crime Saga
After the success of the first movie, it would be very exciting if Taylor Sheridan and Denis Villeneuve teamed up again to make Sicario 3.
Whereas the first movie was mostly told from Kate Macer’s perspective, who is played by Emily Blunt,Sicario: Day of the Soldadodoes not feature her and instead follows Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin’s characters, who were very mysterious in the first film.Sicario: Day of the Soldado, which sees del Toro’s Alejandro kidnap the daughter of a drug cartel leader, is still an entertaining movie, but it is not nearly as good as the first film. Overall, it has a different tone and is more of an action film, rather than a thriller.
Will Either Denis Villeneuve Or Stefano Sollima Return To Direct Sicario 3?
Sicario 3 Has Been Stuck In Development Hell For Years
Even thoughSicario: Day of the Soldadowasn’t as successful as the first film,Sicario 3has been confirmedto be in development. However, the third film in the series has unfortunately been stuck in development hell for years. In 2024,Blunt expressed doubt thatSicario 3will ever be made, while Brolin claimed that he believes the producers are still working on it. Last year, Villeneuve also discussed whether he wouldreturn to directSicario 3, suggesting that he potentially could be interested if Sheridan is writing the movie. Villeneuve said:
Listen, Taylor Sheridan is one of my favorite screenwriters. If Taylor is writing a screenplay, I would be absolutely excited to see that on screen, [but] I have not heard about [a new script or project]. Nobody has talked to me about that. I’m just hearing about it now, I don’t know if thing this will happen, but if Taylor Sheridan is writing it, it’s going to be fantastic.
While it is unlikely, it would be amazing if Villeneuve and Sheridan teamed up again forSicario 3. As for Sollima, he toldVarietyin 2018 that he was not interested in directingSicario 3. He argued that everySicariofilm should be standalone and should come from a different director. Therefore,Sollima will definitely not return, and I wouldn’t hold my breath for Villeneuve to return to the franchise either. Therefore, seven years after the release ofSicario: Day of the Soldado, there is currently no director attached toSicario 3.
