Denis Villeneuve's Sicario was released in 2015, and its sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado came out in 2018. Now, Sicario 3 is in development and will effectively conclude the trilogy that Villeneuve started. Though he chose not to direct Day of the Soldado, many believe that Villeneuve should return to direct Sicario 3. More than that, fans of the series also want to see Emily Blunt — who also wasn't part of Day of the Soldado — to return as FBI Agent Kate Macer. Considering how Blunt was the key to Sicario's initial success (as evidenced by how Day of the Soldado all but flopped), it would do well to end the series with her character. In fact, a Forbes article noted how Blunt was "badly missed" in Sicario 2.
Sicario followed Blunt's idealistic Kate, who is enlisted by a government task force to aid the escalating war against drugs between the U.S and Mexico. While Day of the Soldado continued to follow the drug war at the border, what made Sicario unique was how it grounded its narrative in Kate's perspective. With the upcoming Sicario 3 in development, there's still enough time to include Blunt in the story. Not much is known about the sequel, as no trailer or concrete details have been officially released, but we believe Emily Blunt should return for Sicario 3. Here's why.
There’s Room for Her Story to Develop
With the release of Sicario: Day of the Soldado, fans were upset to learn that Emily Blunt would not be included in the cast, and we would not be seeing how her character would develop further. In an interview with The Wrap, screenwriter Taylor Sheridan revealed that he intentionally didn't write Kate into the sequel because he felt her character arc was complete. He also believed it wouldn't have been appropriate to bring back her character, as she was unnecessary to the plot. That being said, Sheridan also admitted that Kate's story wasn't altogether finished, which opens up the opportunity for her character to potentially return for Sicario 3.
Day of the Soldado ended dramatically with Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) surviving a gunshot at the hands of a young gang member who is played by Elijah Rodriquez. The film then cuts to Alejandro years later when he has recovered from his ordeal and recruits Miguel, setting up for the plot to continue. This would perfectly allow Kate to return and give the audience someone to root for. Her character represented a moral compass in the first film, which was beneficial considering how everyone's morality seemed skewed, and therefore didn’t really allow the audience to root for any but Kate. Considering how naive she was in Sicario, it would be interesting to see how her experiences with Alejandro would have affected her and her approach to her work.
The Cast Would Be Stronger with Her
Casting for the upcoming sequel has not been finalized, and we do not yet have a definitive casting line-up; however, we do have some leads that allow us to make informed decisions regarding the line-up. Molly Smith is a producer who is tied to the film, and she has confirmed that she wants Del Toro to appear in the same role he performed in the previous films. Other cast members who are expected to make a return are Josh Brolin and Jeffery Donovan — however, this has not been finalized.
If Blunt’s character was brought back for Sicario 3, we could see how she has evolved after the last film, and likely holds some scars from the traumatic events she was exposed to in the last film. Her morality could be explored further, and she would likely be exposed to further extreme situations which will allow for her to develop further. The addition of Blunt was a major selling point of the first film, and the overall chemistry of the cast worked extremely well with her presence, so we hope she will return for the next film.
Returning to the First Film Would Please Fans
Of all the released Sicario movies so far, the original film was the best received. Sicario was a huge box office success, becoming a somewhat unexpected success that defied box office expectations and was one of the standout releases of that year. As well as scoring big at the box office, Sicario was a huge success with the critics and earned multiple Oscar nominations. Although the sequel performed well, it was not as well received by fans or by critics alike, so it would make sense to return to the formula that worked for the original film.
The plot of Sicario 3 could take many interesting directions with the inclusion of Emily Blunt that would ultimately please fans and make for an altogether more successful film, especially considering Sicario 3 is set to be the final movie of the franchise. The story would likely pick up from the ending of the sequel where Matt and Alejandro will continue to face the escalating drug battles they are exposed to, with the stakes being higher than ever. Blunt’s character would add a refreshing layer to this and represent a stronger connection to the original film, which performed so well.