Taylor Sheridan is out — Sicario 3 moves on without him

If you were hoping for another Taylor Sheridan script in the next Sicario film, I’ve got some news that’s—let’s just say—not entirely what fans might’ve been expecting. We’ve waited ages for Sicario 3 to get off the ground, but the third entry in the cartel thriller series is taking a different route—literally and figuratively.

Sheridan Out, Steven Knight In

Here’s what’s actually going on: Taylor Sheridan, the guy responsible for all things Yellowstone and its never-ending whirlwind of spin-offs (plus Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Landman... the man’s everywhere), is quite simply snowed under. And with his TV empire expanding faster than it takes an American to finish a large Coke, Sheridan just hasn’t got the bandwidth to pen the next Sicario script.

This marks a bit of a turning point, as Sheridan wrote both the original Sicario in 2015, and its sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, in 2018. For the third film, studios have brought in Steven Knight—yes, the bloke behind Peaky Blinders. If you’re at all familiar, you’ll know Knight’s no slouch when it comes to criminals with questionable ethics. He’s also responsible for Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises, two very tidy little thrillers in their own right. Not a bad swap, to be fair.

Shooting on Sicario 3 is scheduled to begin in early 2027, with release possible in late 2027 or sometime in 2028.

Apparently, Knight’s draft was good enough to get the holy triumvirate of Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin back on board. They reportedly all signed on after reading his take—not a small vote of confidence, given the general quality control on unnecessary sequels these days.

Who’s In and Who’s Directing

Now, for those tracking every face and name: Emily Blunt skipped the second film, with del Toro and Brolin shouldering the gritty gun-slinging there. This time, she’s back in her original role as Kate Macer—the FBI agent who discovered just how blurry a moral compass can get when you sign up for US government narco black ops. Deadline say it’s confirmed: Blunt, del Toro, and Brolin all return for round three.

Directing duties have also rotated. The first Sicario was helmed by Denis Villeneuve, who’s since gone full A-list with Dune and Blade Runner 2049. Padraic McKinley will take the director’s chair for Sicario 3, taking over from Stefano Sollima, who managed Day of the Soldado. A bit of a merry-go-round in the director’s department, but at this point, that’s par for the course on this franchise.

Distribution and Production

There’s another shuffle behind the scenes, too. The first two were distributed by Lionsgate, but this time, Black Label Media and Thunder Road are apparently planning to shop the film around to new distributors. In other words, expect some jostling before the film lands with a studio willing to cough up for marketing.

• Taylor Sheridan wrote and created the first two Sicario films but is not involved as a writer for this one
• Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight is writing the new script
• Emily Blunt is returning to star, alongside Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin
• Padraic McKinley will direct, replacing Stefano Sollima
• Filming is planned to start in early 2027
• Original distributor Lionsgate not returning; film will be shopped to new distributors

If you’re keeping score, Sicario: Day of the Soldado came out in 2018—coinciding, curiously enough, with the year Yellowstone made Sheridan a household name among anyone remotely interested in cowboy hats and property disputes. Since then, he’s barely had time to breathe, let alone script another hard-hitting crime epic. Given that, his exit from the writing chair is not the biggest shock in the world, though his scripts were a huge part of why the original films worked as well as they did.

No official word on plot just yet. All eyes are now on Knight to deliver the goods—and whether Macer’s soul can take another kicking south of the border.