Denis Villeneuve’s FBI vs cartels thriller Sicario might not have seemed like an obvious project to get the sequel treatment — but the prospect of follow-up Soldado shows plenty of promise. Shifting the focus from drugs to human trafficking, it looks set to inhabit the same murky territory of the original, with plenty of the cast returning. One of those is Benicio Del Toro’s hitman Alejandro, who can be seen in Empire’s exclusive new image from the film.
While Josh Brolin’s CIA officer Matt is bumped up to the lead role for Soldado, Del Toro is still a major figure in the film. “It is Josh’s story, but it’s very much a two-hander,” producer Erica Lee told Empire. “Alejandro will always be the soul of Sicario movies. He is the heart that beats within them. He is our protagonist. And antagonist, in a way.”
Stepping into the director’s chair — Denis Villeneuve was busy flooding Ryan Gosling in neon on Blade Runner 2049 — is Stefano Sollima, behind Gomorrah and Suburra, while the script once again comes from celebrated screenwriter Taylor Sheridan. Since the original Sicario, his screenplays for Hell or High Water and Wind River have cemented him as one of the sharpest thriller-writers in the game.
Find out more info about Sicario 2 Soldado in the new issue of Empire, which hits newsstands today. The film will thunder into UK cinemas on June 29.
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