Sicario 3: What The Working Title Could Be Teasing

Josh Brolin may not have been confident that "Sicario" would be a hit, but the 2015 crime thriller was exactly that. As a matter of fact, the film played an instrumental role, along with 2013's "Prisoners" and 2016's "Arrival," in announcing Denis Villeneuve as one of the best and most capable working Hollywood directors. The film, which was penned by "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan, was enough of a hit to spawn a sequel, 2018's "Sicario: Day of the Soldado." That movie wasn't directed by Villeneuve, but it was written by Sheridan and saw both Benicio del Toro and Brolin reprise their original "Sicario" roles as Alejandro Gillick and Matt Graver, respectively.

Now, it looks like the "Sicario" franchise may end up growing into a full-blown trilogy. Franchise producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee teased as much in a recent interview with The Messenger. When asked whether a third "Sicario" film really is in the works, Iwaynk replied, "Oh yeah." Referencing the screenwriting shutdown caused by this year's WGA Strike, Lee added, "When we can continue writing it. It was pencils down, but the idea is awesome."

The working title for "Sicario 3" is reportedly "Sicario: Capos," which translates to "Hitman: Bosses" in English. While it's impossible to know for sure right now what the film's story will be, its current title suggests that it may follow del Toro's Alejandro as he attempts to take down all the heads of Mexico's drug cartels. Given the events of both "Sicario" and its 2018 sequel, that wouldn't be an entirely unexpected direction for the franchise's next installment to go, either.

In the same interview with The Messenger, Basil Iwaynk confirmed that the next "Sicario" sequel is intended to continue telling the story of Benicio del Toro's character, Alejandro Gillick. "I can't wait for 'Sicario 3,'" the producer admitted. "I could watch Benicio play that guy forever." Taking that confirmation into account, it seems more likely than not that "Sicario: Capos" will, as its title suggests, see Alejandro begin to target increasingly powerful figures within the drug cartel world.

That'd be a natural next step for the character. After all, 2015's "Sicario" not only establishes Alejandro's bitterness toward the drug trade but also gives him a chance to personally kill a well-protected drug lord, which he relishes. In "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," Alejandro additionally participates in an operation designed to further stoke the tensions between Mexico's drug cartels, and the film ultimately ends with him attempting to recruit a potential protégé in Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez), an ambitious young man he crosses paths with multiple times throughout the thriller.

Furthermore, Matt Graver reveals in "Sicario" that his and Alejandro's mission is to transform the cartels into one entity so that the United States can more effectively combat their trade. It'd make sense then for "Sicario 3" to follow Alejandro as he turns his attention, at long last, to the heads of the cartels.

Right now, it's unclear whether Josh Brolin's Matt and Rodriguez's Miguel are also meant to return, and we still don't know who's writing and directing.Even more importantly, it remains to be seen whether or not the film itself will even come to fruition. If it does, viewers might want to prepare themselves for a story similar to the one outlined above.