Movie fans will see plenty of sequels debut in theaters in 2018, but few will likely reach the darkest depths we see in the first look at Stefano Sollima's Sicario 2: Soldado. The follow-up to 2015's Sicario has kept many fans intrigued throughout the bulk of its development, and the fact that we have not seen much of the film has only added to the bizarre and sinister mystique of the project. However, that has just changed in a major way. The first official trailer for Sicario 2: Soldado has finally dropped online, and it looks like Benicio Del Toro's Alejandro is going to once again rack up a considerable body count. Take a look at the trailer, below.
That does not give us too much to go by in terms of concrete plot details, but it is clear that Sicario 2: Soldado will once again see Alejandro and Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) team up to take on drug-running cartels south of the United States border. We already know that Alejandro does not have any issues with killing anyone (and we mean ANYONE) necessary to get the job done, and the people who fall under his crosshairs in this sequel are going to die some pretty gruesome deaths. Beyond that, we just get some great imagery of soldiers HALO jumping into action, men blowing themselves up, and quiet, dimly-lit conversations between our two heroes.
Don't believe us when we say that this movie pulls no punches with the violence? Just go back to that shot of Alejandro emptying his handgun into a helpless man lying on the street. That is what Sicario 2: Soldado is all about.
Right off the bat, it's clear from this trailer that Sicario 2: Soldado wants to continue to honor the distinct visual style of the original film. Although director Denis Villeneuve and iconic cinematographer Roger Deakins are not returning for the sequel, new director Stefano Sollima seems to have a keen understanding of the distinct visual sensibility that made the first installment so good.
One aspect of Sicario 2: Soldado's story that will obviously be interesting to watch is how the sequel manages to expand on the roles of Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro with Emily Blunt no longer in the picture. We have known for quite some time that Soldado will not bring back Kate Macer to play a significant role in the plot (unless there's a secret cameo that we are currently unaware of), which means Alejandro and Matt Graver have officially graduated to the lead roles in this newly-formed franchise. Removing the moral and ethical center of Sicario from the story inherently implies that Sicario 2: Soldado will take a much grayer approach to how it handles the morality of its heroes in a much bigger story, which also means that we may see our leads get their hands much dirtier in a much darker story.
Sicario 2: Soldado will premiere in theaters next summer on June 29, 2018. If you want more information on the remaining films this year, then check out our 2017 movie premiere guide.
