2015's Sicario was a success and led to a 2018 sequel. With Sicario 3 in development, there's hope that it will recapture the first movie's success.

Summary

• Sicario 3 hopes to bring back Emily Blunt's character Kate, whose performance in the first film added depth and moral complexity to the story.
• Blunt's absence in Sicario: Day of the Soldado was a storytelling choice to emphasize the lawlessness and corruption in government, but her return in Sicario 3 would elevate the story.
• Sicario: Day of the Soldado arguably missed Kate's character, as she provided a moral compass and challenged the ethics of the other characters, bringing tension and relatability to the film.

With Sicario 3, potentially titled Sicario: Capos, in development, there's hope that Lionsgate will avoid some of the biggest mistakes that Sicario: Day of the Soldado made. The tense action and gritty storytelling were just a couple of things that contributed to Sicario's success back in 2015, but its characters - specifically Kate, Alejandro, and Matt (Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin respectively), and their chemistry was the highlight of the action thriller. While audiences have seen plenty of movies and shows centering around the United States government solving international conspiracies, the Denis Villeneuve movie stands out from the rest because of the central characters' chemistry.

Interestingly, Sicario: Day of the Soldado elected not to bring the original trio back - and while the film was still a success, it can't be denied that Blunt's absence was felt. While details are still sparse, a recent Sicario 3 update hints at the original Sicario actors reuniting, thus hopefully recreating the same quality seen in the first film. While all three A-listers stay booked and busy and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike complicates big studio plans, recent comments from the series' producers strongly imply that a proper sequel is in the works and could reunite the main trio.

Sicario 3 Hopes To Bring Back Emily Blunt’s Kate

Typical for anticipated sequels, there isn't an abundance of information regarding Sicario 3's current status. However, one thing that is understood is that Sicario's producers want Blunt, del Toro, and Brolin to return as they believe there's still a great story to tell with them. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter last year, Brolin confirmed that a shooting script was being worked on by saying, "It's out there. We think it deserves a third one if we can make it in the way that we want to make it." Regardless of the flimsy nature of Hollywood announcements, this offers hope for those interested in the third entry of the Sicario franchise.

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One of the reasons why Sicario is still considered the better of the two films is because of Blunt's performance as FBI Special Agent Kate Macer. Not only was she well-written and portrayed, but she added another layer to Sicario beyond what's typically seen in other movies in the genre. Her character was constantly affected by the moral implications of what she and the US government were doing, and bringing her character back would undoubtedly elevate the movie's script. Furthermore, her interactions with Alejandro and Matt always resulted in some of the best onscreen banter in recent memory.

Why Emily Blunt Didn’t Return For Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Considering how well-received Blunt's performance in Sicario was, a reasonable assumption for anyone to make is that the ethically grounded Kate would have made a return for its 2018 sequel. Furthermore, with the return of del Toro and Brolin as Alejandro and Matt, the question was begged even further as to why she didn't make a return. In addition to Blunt's busy schedule, the producers of Sicario had a strong reason regarding Emily Blunt's absence from Sicario: Day of the Soldado - and it makes sense from a storytelling perspective.

Among many of the characters introduced in Sicario, Kate and Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya) are some of the only morally sound ones, as they represent a sense of ethics and justice despite how naive and impressionable they may have been. Sicario: Day of the Soldado wanted to represent the lawlessness that corruption in government and politics breeds and its impact on communities, so removing the morally just Kate was a brilliant albeit unfortunate way to get that point across. While it was necessary to exclude Kate from Sicario: Day of the Soldado, she could return in Sicario 3 as a less optimistic version of herself given the first film's events.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado Missed Kate’s Character

It wouldn't be accurate to describe Sicario: Day of the Soldado as a failure, but it would be fair to say it might have performed much better had Blunt's Kate Macer made a return in some capacity. From a writing standpoint, excluding her character from the movie in favor of maintaining the integrity of the sequel's themes is commendable. However, it also created a situation where audiences weren't challenged as much had she been involved. In addition to being something of a rookie thus making it easier for audiences to follow the action, Kate was also meant to be a character whom viewers could relate to and identify with.

While Alejandro was a ruthless killer and Matt an unscrupulous CIA officer willing to do anything to complete missions, Kate challenged the ethics of what her superiors were doing and commanding her to do. This clash of heads made for some genuinely tense moments that were often more dramatic than any of the shootouts or extraction missions. While del Toro and Brolin delivered strong performances, it also can't be said enough how much the overly macho sequel needed Kate's pragmatism and code of ethics. If Kate returns in Sicario 3, it would be interesting to see how she'd interact with the corrupt officials given the three characters' history.

Sicario 3 Can Restore What Made Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario So Good

While Denis Villeneuve's directing can't be discounted, Blunt's performance as Kate Macer is largely what made Sicario so good. It wouldn't be too surprising if Villeneuve had to turn down Sicario: Capos considering his hands are probably still tied with the upcoming Dune Part Two. However, there's hope regarding Blunt's return as Kate since she was one of the few characters in the film to make it out alive. Throughout the film, Blunt delivered a performance that kept audiences on her side and compelled viewers to question the ethics that go into the US government solving international disputes.

Kate's optimism in Sicario is constantly tested throughout the story, and it makes for some genuinely tense interactions between herself and virtually every other member of the team. Moreover, she helped ground the story as she was someone whom audiences could root for in a cast of corrupt killers. After seeing everything she endured and the stressful, life-ending situation she narrowly avoided with Alejandro at the film's climax, she would likely be much more jaded and bitter if she were to return for the sequel. Nevertheless, if Sicario 3 could get Blunt back on board, it would no doubt solve Sicario: Day of the Soldado's biggest problem.