The 2017 film will feature male stars returning to Mexico to ignite a war between the cartels.

If you’ve heard anything at all about “Soldado,” it’s probably that Emily Blunt won’t be appearing in the “Sicario” sequel. Taylor Sheridan, who wrote both films, has offered TheWrap Magazine a reason why in a new interview: “That was my decision, and at some point I’m going to have to talk to her about it,” he explains. “Her arc was complete…I couldn’t figure out a way to write a character that would do her talent justice.”

READ MORE: ‘Sicario’ Sequel ‘Soldado’: Emily Blunt Out in Story That Focuses On Benicio Del Toro & Josh Brolin’s Characters



Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro completed the main trio of “Sicario,” which was directed by Denis Villeneuve, and both actors will be appearing in “Soldado” as well. (Villeneuve, like Blunt, won’t be involved — Stefano Sollima is helming the sequel.) “Look what she went through. It was a difficult role,” continues Sheridan, who also wrote this year’s “Hell or High Water.”

“Here I write this lead character and then I use her as a surrogate for the audience. I make her completely passive against her own will so the audience feels the same impotence that a lot of law enforcement officers feel, I drag her through hell, and betray her in the end. It was an arduous journey for the character, and for Emily. That character had arc.”

READ MORE: ‘Sicario’ Sequel ‘Soldado’ Will Be Part of Standalone Trilogy

Jeffrey Donovan, who will be reprising his role in “Soldado” alongside Brolin and del Toro, gave Variety Latino a brief synopsis in a recent interview: “It focuses on these three characters now, going down into Mexico to basically start a war, on purpose, between the rival Mexican cartels. There’s a bigger reason for it, but that’s the beginning of the movie.”

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