Taylor Sheridan, the screenwriter of Sicario, says he cannot take actor Emily Blunt for the sequel to the 2015 film because her “arc was complete”.
Along with Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario contributed to Blunt’s action hero reinvention, which is why fans were surprised to learn that she would not be returning for the sequel, Soldado.
Sheridan has revealed that it was his decision to not cast Blunt in the sequel as he thought he would not be able to do justice to her character for the sake of extending it, reported Entertainment Weekly.
“That was my decision, and at some point, I’m going to have to talk to her about it. Her arc was complete… I couldn’t figure out a way to write a character that would do her talent justice,” she said.
Blunt played FBI Agent Kate Macer in Sicario, in which she joins a government task force in bringing down a Mexican drug cartel. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, who were also part of the first film, will be returning for the sequel.
“Look what she went through. It was a difficult role. Here I write this lead character and then I use her as a surrogate for the audience.
“I make her completely passive against her own will so the audience feels the same impotence that a lot of law enforcement officers feel, I drag her through hell and betray her in the end. It was an arduous journey for the character, and for Emily. That character had an arc,” he said.
He added, “What do you do next? She moves to some little town and becomes a sheriff and then gets kidnapped and then we have Taken? I had to tell the story that was true to this role, and I didn’t feel like I could create something with that character that would further that world that would do Emily’s character justice.”
