For anybody keeping track, today’s trailer score is “Ocean’s 8,” “Sicario 2.” Hot on the heels of Sandra Bullock’s comedy-sequel teaser comes a first look at “Sicario 2: Soldado,” a follow-up to a far more serious crime story.
The 2015 drug-cartel drama “Sicario,” which grossed $84 million worldwide, seems a less likely candidate for a franchise than the “Ocean’s” trilogy, which has made more than $1 billion globally. Still, “Sicario” earned Oscar nominations for cinematography, score and sound editing. Its screenwriter, Taylor Sheridan, drew an Academy Award nomination for the 2016 sleeper “Hell or High Water” as well as acclaim for his directorial debut, “Wind River,” earlier this year.
Mr. Sheridan also wrote the script for “Sicario 2,” which is directed by Stefano Sollima. A veteran of the Italian TV crime opus “Gomorrah,” Mr. Sollima took over from Denis Villeneuve, who went on to make the sci-fi dramas “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049.”
Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro reprise their roles as a federal agent and a shadowy operative, respectively. When the American government declares drug cartels to be terrorist organizations, the two aim to take down the kingpins by any means, legal or otherwise. “Turning you loose,” Mr. Brolin’s character tells Mr. del Toro’s. “No rules this time.”
Newcomers to the cast include Catherine Keener and Matthew Modine. Scheduled for release on June 28, “Soldado” may not be this story’s final installment. The trailer pointedly refers to it as “the next chapter in the Sicario Saga.”
