“Sicario” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve handed over the director’s chair of its sequel “Soldado” to Stefano Sollima after having to opt out due to his “Blade Runner 2049” commitments.

The results are visible in the film which is visually and atmospherically not on the same level as the first film, nevertheless, it is a taut, muscular and smart thriller which Sollima pulls off with a solid hand. With talk now turning to a possible third instalment, the obvious question arises as to who will helm.

Villeneuve has expressed a desire to return, but his commitments to his two-film adaptation of “Dune” may prevent it. Would Sollima come back? Speaking to Variety, he makes it clear he’s already ruled himself out and has an idea of where the franchise should go:

“Every movie in these series needs to be a standalone that stays in the same world. I’d love to watch another chapter of Sicario, but it should be from a different director who has their own specific style. You shouldn’t have more than one film from the same director. Then it would be too much like a real franchise.”

Costing an economical $35 million to make, the film opened last weekend to a $23 million domestic debut over its first three days. The first film made $84 million at the worldwide box-office and was a hit on home video, so the new one will have to make a comparable amount if the series were to continue.