Josh Brolin's Graver in his military tactical gear in Sicario NYCC

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Brolin is feeling confident about Sicario 3's direction, even if it's without Taylor Sheridan.

Brolin has frequently remained hopeful about the third installment in the action franchise getting off the ground, even as it hit a variety of starts and stops amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023's Writers Guild of America strike and his ever-busy docket of projects. After nearly a decade of waiting, it was finally confirmed in October 2026 that Sicario 3 would be moving ahead with Brolin, Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt all returning to star, Padraic McKinley in the director's chair and Steven Knight penning the script.

Now, while speaking with ScreenRant's Adam Barnard at New York Comic Con 2026, Brolin has weighed in on Sicario 3 moving forward without Sheridan's writing. The star began by clarifying the recent reports of its progress, stating that the team is "still working on it" and are currently "in the notes process" of developing the sequel.

The Oscar nominee went on to praise McKinley as a "great filmmaker" who has brought some "great notes" for Knight's script, while acknowledging that the shift to a new writer apart from Sheridan is a "juggly process." Even still, Brolin beamed about his excitement to reunite with both Blunt and del Toro for Sicario 3 after such a long wait:

Josh Brolin: Then you find it, and then we all get super happy, and we all can't wait to get on set. We all can't wait to get on set anyway. It's been a while. We adore each other, and we've all worked together before. Benicio and I, this will be our sixth film together. It's fantastic [to work with Emily again]. I just sent her a little voice memo yesterday, and I just adore her, I adore her. I think the work right now has reached a level that's just untouchable.

Knight taking over as screenwriter for Sicario 3 proved something of a surprise, as a report had arrived mere days before the announcement indicating that Sheridan returned to pen the script for the action sequel. The Denis Villeneuve-helmed original notably marked Sheridan's debut as a screenwriter, as well as the first installment in his American Frontier trilogy, which later included the heist drama Hell or High Water and mystery thriller Wind River, the latter of which also served as his directorial debut.

Even still, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Sheridan won't be back for Sicario 3. He's currently in the midst of one of his busiest eras yet, balancing his new neo-Western drama The Madison, his hit series Landman, the Call of Duty movie, a potential Lioness season 4 and the upcoming Tulsa King spinoff, Frisco King. Additionally, he's in the midst of his shift to his new first-look deal at NBCUniversal.

The shift to Knight for Sicario 3's writing duties does mark something of an interesting change of pace, primarily down to the fact that the Oscar nominee has not generally ventured into the Western or neo-Western genres in his 37-year career. The closest projects in tone that Knight has to Sheridan's franchise would be that of his own Peaky Blinders franchise, which has often been likened to a Western set in World War I-era Birmingham, and World War II thriller series SAS: Rogue Heroes.

Given the amount of acclaim both shows have enjoyed in their runs, it does mark an encouraging showing for Knight taking over from Sheridan on Sicario 3. Plus, should the film prove to be worth the wait for both critics and audiences at the box office, a fourth film could materialize in a window of availability for Sheridan to return as writer and/or director.

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Taylor Sheridan’s Sicario 3 Absence Officially Addressed By Josh Brolin