Last weekend Denis Villeneuve“˜s drug war thriller Sicario grossed 401K in six theaters, which by those standards, is quite amazing. Of course the film will expand to a few more theaters later this weekend before expanding nationwide in early October. With the momentum it has now, there is an off chance that it could perform beyond expectations, which would give Lionsgate a reason to greenlight a sequel.

Now it is still very early in the process, but it appears that Lionsgate is very interested in getting a sequel to Sicario off the ground, with most of the major cast and creative team behind the project as well. More on who is involved and the possible plot of the film below.

Variety says if a sequel does happen, it would most likely center on an intense and shadowy hitman Alejandro played by Benicio Del Toro. Taylor Sheridan, the writer of Sicario, will oversee the project, as well as Villeneuve. But it is not clear if Villeneuve will return to direct. Black Label Media would be back to co-finance the sequel.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Sicario, but it’s not clear if the film truly warrants a sequel. The report also makes no mention if Emily Blunt and/or Josh Brolin will return. Again, having not seen the film, I don’t know if they survive their assignment using one drug lord to take out a bigger one.

On the subject of the sequel Patrick Wachsberger, co-chair of the studio’s motion picture group, mentioned he was talking to Villeneuve about the possibility of more films, and that one of the subjects of that discussion was “Where is Benicio going?”

The report then goes into how much Oscar potential the movie has.

Wachsberger commented that Sicario has more than enough to be nominated for the top awards like “Best Movie, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Music, and, of course, the actors.” He added, “All of the characters feel real.”

The report also praises the movie for effectively setting the tone for the nighttime raid scenes as well as the confrontations at the US-Mexican boarder. So it is quite possible that Roger Deakins might get the Oscar that has been alluding him for the past 12 nominations.

Blunt is also credited for her role in the film. Wachsberger agreed with critics who praised her performance, which might be enough to get her own nomination, and maybe even the win.

Lionsgate’s slow-paced release for Sicario, appears to be deliberate, and rides on the hopes of good word of mouth to help fuel the success of the film. It goes wide on October 2.

[Source: Variety]