(Left) Jon Bernthal at the ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ premiere. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages. (Right) Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief in Halo episode 5, Season 2, Streaming on Paramount+ 2024. Photo: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+.
Preview:
Jon Bernthal and Pablo Schreiber are the latest recruits for ‘His & Hers’.
Tessa Thompson is starring and executive producing.
Netflix is backing the limited series.
Murder mysteries continue to be all the rage for streamers in general and Netflix in particular. The company has Nicole Kidman on our screens right now for ‘The Perfect Couple’, and there is another example of the genre headed towards shooting.
Tessa Thompson (an MCU veteran who has also appeared in the likes of the ‘Creed’ films, ‘Passing’ and ‘Little Woods,’ will star an executive produce in the new limited series ‘His & Hers.’
Tessa Thompson in Marvel’s ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’ Photo courtesy of Disney Studios.
‘Fellow Travelers’ Dee Johnson adapted Alice Feeney’s 2020 novel, which is set in the sweltering heat of Atlanta.
Our focus is Anna (Thompson), who lives in haunting reclusivity and is fading away from her friends and career as a journalist. But when she overhears about a murder in Dahlonega – the sleepy town where she grew up –– she is snapped back to life, pouncing on the case and searching for answers.
Detective Jack Harper (Bernthal) is strangely suspicious of her involvement, chasing her into the crosshairs of his own investigation. There are two sides to every story, his and hers, which means someone is always lying. Jack lost his last job and is now working in his small hometown of Dahlonega, Georgia, where he lives with his sister and niece.
Schreiber will portray Richard, one of the best cameramen at WSK TV News, and he’s also the husband of hot new anchor Lexy Jones, who slid into her position during the recent absence of regular anchor Anna. Richard is chosen by Anna to be her cameraman when, upon her return, she picks up the story of a murder in Dahlonega as a field reporter.
‘Lady Macbeth’ and ‘Eileen’ writer/director William Oldroyd is an executive producer and will handle the first episode of the six-episode limited run.
The producers also include Kristen Campo for Campout Productions, while Jessica Chastain and Kelly Carmichael will also oversee the series for their Freckle Films company, though there is no word yet on whether Chastain will be in front of the camera at all for this one.
Where else have I seen Jon Bernthal and Pablo Schreiber?
Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief in ‘Halo’ streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Adrienn Szabo/Paramount+.
Bernthal, in addition to his work on ‘The Bear’ might be best known for playing Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher in the Marvel Netflix TV series. ‘Daredevil’ and ‘The Punisher.’ He’s returning to the role for the upcoming MCU/Disney+ ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’
After escaping unscathed from a car accident photo model Simone (Pascale Bussières) decides that having a baby is the only way to give her vacant life some meaning. She asks her best friend Philippe (Alexis Martin) to get her pregnant and he reluctantly agrees on the condition that they conceive somewhere in a desert, so they leave Montréal on a 24-hour roundtrip to Salt Lake City to find a suitable spot.
A mother’s last wishes send twins Jeanne (Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin) and Simon (Maxim Gaudette) on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s acclaimed play, ‘Incendies’ tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults’ voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.
A young woman’s life (Marie-Josée Croze) spirals into chaos after she is involved in a hit-and-run accident. Then she encounters a mysterious man named Evian (Jean-Nicolas Verreault) who offers her an opportunity for redemption. Narrated by a fish.
(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman in ‘Prisoners.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) is facing a parent’s worst nightmare: his young daughter (Erin Gerasimovich) and her friend (Kyla-Drew Simmons) have gone missing. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrests the only suspect – the driver of an RV (Paul Dano) on which the girls had been playing – but a lack of evidence forces his release. As pressure mounts, Loki’s team pursues multiple leads while a frantic Dover decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
Amy Adams in ‘Arrival.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist (Amy Adams) is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
(L to R) Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Timothée Chalamet in ‘Dune.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
(L to R) Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford in ‘Blade Runner 2049.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
An idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the US and Mexico. Also starring Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin.
Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Writer/director/showrunner Taylor Sheridan has quietly (and not-so-quietly, depending on where you live and how aware of his work you are) been building a small screen empire with his ‘Yellowstone’ shows, which have spun off two prequels (‘1923’ and 1883’, with more on the way).
Those in turn have led to the commissioning of other series, including Sylvester Stallone-starring ‘Tulsa King’, Jeremy Renner-led ‘Mayor of Kingstown’, the upcoming ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’, which features Dennis Quaid and David Oyelowo and ‘Land Men’, boasting Billy Bob Thornton heading its cast.
Sheridan’s work has, as the lists above suggest, attracted plenty of top talent, but the needle of the Big-Name-O-Meter hit even further with the announcement of another new show (seriously, when the does this man see his family?), ‘Special Ops: Lioness’, which has dropped its first trailer and you can watch t above.
Zoe Saldana as Joe in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Lynsey Addario/Paramount+.
All about ‘Special Ops: Lioness’
The new show, inspired by an actual US Military program, follows the life of Joe (Zoe Saldaña) while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA’s spear in the war on terror.
The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) and Donald Westfield (Michael Kelly), enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA’s efforts to thwart the next 9/11.
It’s all very much in the wheelhouse of movies that Sheridan has written in the past, especially ‘Sicario’, which saw Emily Blunt as an idealistic FBI agent enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
Except ‘Lioness’ goes further into espionage territory, with plenty of meetings in darkened command centers, lots of action with guns blazing and undercover operatives under threat and comments about carrying out missions “in front of CBS news”, which makes sense, since the series from this first look comes across as something that would probably play well (if in much more limited/lower budget fashion) on Paramount+’s network sibling CBS.
(L to R) James Jordan as Two Cups, Jonah Wharton as Tex, Jill Wagner as Bobby, Zoe Saldana as Joe, Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade, Austin Hébert as Randy and Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo credit: Greg Lewis/Paramount+.
In addition to the already impressive roster, ‘Lioness’ also features Morgan Freeman, playing Edwin Mullins. He’s the Secretary of State in the series and has some tough questions for the CIA program’s creators and agents.
‘Special Ops: Lioness’ will launch on Paramount+ on Sunday, July 23. Will it catch on the way ‘Yellowstone’ has and spawn 17 spin-offs all overseen by Sheridan (who will presumably have perfected cloning technology by then so he can handle the workload)? Only time will tell…
(L to R) Jill Wagner as Bobby, Thad Luckinbill as Kyle, Zoe Saldana as Joe, James Jordan as Two Cups, Jonah Wharton as Tex, Austin Hébert as Randy in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo credit: Greg Lewis/Paramount+.(L to R) Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade, Michael Kelly as Bryon Westfield and Zoe Saldana as Joe in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Luke Varley/Paramount+.(L to R) Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos, Zoe Saldana as Joe, and Nicole Kidman as Kaitlyn Meade in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Luke Varley/Paramount+.(L to R) Stephanie Nur as Aaliyah and Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Luke Varley/Paramount+.Laysla De Oliveria as Cruz Manuelos in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Lynsey Addario/Paramount+.Zoe Saldana as Joe in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ streaming on Paramount+, 2023. Photo Credit: Lynsey Addario/Paramount+.
Opening in theaters and On Demand beginning June 17th is the new coming of age film ‘First Love,’ from director A.J. Edwards (‘The Better Angels’).
Set in 2008, the film follows Jim (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), a senior in high school experiencing the highs and lows of his first love with Ann (Sydney Park) as they navigate their pending departure to college. At the same time, Jim’s parents, Greg (Jeffrey Donovan) and Kay (Diane Kruger) are dealing with the financial crisis after Greg loses his job.
But Donovan is probably most recognizable from his TV work, which includes appearances on ‘Touching Evil,’ ‘Crossing Jordan,’ and ‘Fargo,’ as well as starring as Michael Westen on USA’s hit series ‘Burn Notice.’ He currently plays Detective Frank Cosgrove on NBC’s ‘Law & Order.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jeffrey Donovan about his work on ‘First Love,’ as well as ‘Law & Order’ and the possibility of a third ‘Sicario.’
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You can read our full interview with Jeffrey Donovan below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Donavan and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
Moviefone: To begin with, it seems like you are everywhere right now. You just finished your first season on ‘Law & Order,’ you have ‘First Love’ coming out, and I just saw the movie you did with Jason Statham and Guy Ritchie last year.
Jeffrey Donovan: Oh, ‘Wrath of Man.’ That was a lot of fun. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some great directors, Clint Eastwood, Rob Reiner and Barry Levinson. All these epic, prolific directors, but that was such a cool thing to do, to be in a Guy Ritchie movie. And with Jason Statham. I had so much fun. We shot it across the pond. I landed January 18th, 2020. Then the world shut down. It was crazy. It was the last film I did pre-pandemic.
MF: How did you get involved in ‘First Love’ and what was your first reaction to reading the screenplay?
JD: My agent sent it to me because a colleague of his represents Hero and said, “Hero really likes this” I didn’t know who Hero was. Now I do, good God, what a talent and what a presence, what a great young actor. A.J. and Diane had kind of been looking around for the dad. I guess someone brought me up to them, and they looked at my work and they sent it over to me. I immediately just was struck by the tone being very specific about that time period.
I remember that time period because it was actually when I began ‘Burn Notice.’ It was a paradox for me because my career was just blossoming through ‘Burn Notice’ and the country was going down. It caused this huge conflicting struggle for me going, “I’ve never been happier in such a sad country.” So, I remember that time period. I remembered it and I just tapped into that general malaise of how people were so despondent, so crushed by the economy and the real estate bubble bursting. I thought it would be an interesting thing to explore.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin in ‘First Love.’
MF: The movie takes place during the 2008 financial crisis, but coming out of the Pandemic, a lot of people lost their jobs too. Do you think in a way now was the right time for this movie to come out because so many people can relate to what you character in going through in the film?
JD: Sadly, it’s serendipitous of this time with the economy and the inflation, but as you see, it does come in cycles. It went down, it went back up, we had a huge growth, and it will go down again. So, as we know, it’s going to rebound, but I think that people will respond because it’s not like a Hollywood movie. It’s just not, life is not like that.
‘First Love’ is far more nuanced and complex, and it takes years. I don’t think you see a lot of movies that show the complexity of riding that wave of success and that failure. I think that’s what’s beautiful about the film is that it shows first love literally between two young people. Then what does first love look like 20 years later? I don’t think there’s a lot of movies that show that, and that’s what drew me to it, and obviously to share the screen with the amazing Diane Kruger.
MF: Can you talk about how Frank deals with losing his job and the affect it has on his family and his marriage?
JD: It’s not that complex to say that men typically feel like they have to be the breadwinner, not necessarily they are the bread winner. But they feel like they have to be. Then it’s a trope. It’s an old, archaic way of thinking. He still has that because he grew up in a very Orthodox faith with the patriarch role being very stereotypical. It destroys his masculinity. It destroys his sense of self and his sense of worth. I think that wonderful dinner scene with his brother needling him is just kind of endemic of that, “Hey, you’re not towing the line just like me. We’re all just kind of sinking in this boat.”
For Diane’s character to kind of rise up and say, “You know what? We’re a partnership. We’re 50-50. This isn’t all on you.” It takes so many slaps in his face to go, “It’s not like what you imagine, that fabric that you’re kind of holding onto. It doesn’t really exist.” So, I thought that was really kind of fascinating to explore.
(L to R) Jeffrey Donovan and Diane Kruger in ‘First Love.’
MF: What was it like for you to work with Diane Kruger and explore that relationship and dynamic with her on screen?
JD: Well, it was easy in the sense that every time she walked on set, I went, “Oh my God, she’s such an amazing actress.” But also, Diane’s a very intelligent, a very 21st century modern woman who understands that there is no such thing as the male or female role. They’re our roles. They’re ours.
It’s as a team and being married with children, you realize that this is your job. This is my job in our relationship. She feels the same way with her partner. It’s our job. It’s our job to raise our child. It’s our job to provide. So, we felt very simpatico in that. She was just luminous in the role. I mean, I can’t say enough about her.
MF: Can you talk about working with the young actors in the film, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Sydney Park? Did you find yourself having any parental pride for them on set when you saw what strong performances they were each giving?
JD: I did. It was it was unconscious because I was like, “Look at these two young brilliant actors tearing it up with not a fear in the world. I wish I was that young and confident.” I was like, “Oh my God. These two young fine actors are just so immensely, confident and brilliant in their roles.”
I think it’s good what you don’t know. I don’t think they knew how hard what they were doing was, and they did it so seamlessly. I’m glad you appreciate what they did because it’s so difficult to do. I think that a lot of the film relies on looks, glances and smiles, and that’s all organic stuff that was just created by them. It was really great.
(L to R) Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Sydney Park in ‘First Love.’
MF: You’ve worked with many great directors throughout your career, can you talk about working with A.J. Edwards, and do you find it helpful when the director is also the writer on a project?
JD: I’ve been lucky to play in an arena that runs the gamut, right. Clint is very like, “It’s on the page, say it.” One take move on. My first film was with Barry Levinson, who just was like, “Oh yeah, maybe that, maybe something else. Do something.” Then with Guy Ritchie who would have the script and he would come out of his trailer an hour after we got there and say, “Here’s the new pages.” He rewrote them in an hour and we would all act them throughout the day. He’s been doing that since he began his career.
So, with A.J., we were lucky to have rehearsal for the first week before shooting, which is such a luxury on a small budgeted film like this. We went through line by line, even word by word with Diane, me, and even Hero. We worked it through so that we found nuances that A.J. appreciated, and we were very appreciative of him to be able to let us have that kind of room to grow in these roles.
MF: As an actor, what was it like for you to join ‘Law & Order’ this season and work with an amazing cast that includes Anthony Anderson and Camryn Manheim?
JD: Yeah and Sam (Waterson), Hugh (Dancy) and Odelya (Halevi). There’s also been the guest stars. I mean, we’re so lucky. We have the cream of the crop from New York City actors showing up every week. Look, it’s the mothership. It’s no secret. I’m the biggest geek fan of ‘Law & Order.’ Everyone knows it. I know every episode. I was a fan of the mothership and I used to watch it after college. I’d come home on Thursday nights and I would watch it very late at night.
It’s an honor. People can say that a lot, but for a franchise that Dick Wolf created 30 years ago, to be a part of that, to be a banner for NBC and to be walking down those courtroom steps or police squad steps, it’s a true honor. I’m blessed. I told this to the crew when we wrapped season one, I said, “I absolutely love showing up to work every day.” It’s very rare that you can say that about a job. Every single day I love showing up. So, it’s been great.
(L to R) Jeffrey Donovan as Det. Frank Cosgrove, and Anthony Anderson as Det. Kevin Bernard on ‘Law & Order.’ Photo: Will Hart/NBC.
MF: Finally, have you heard any more talk about a third ‘Sicario’ and is that a character you would like to revisit?
JD: It’s been talked about, but I’m asking for $50 million and they’re just not budging. I don’t know why they’re not coming up from $50,000. I just don’t know why? But I’m asking for $50 million. You can’t make ‘Sicario 3’ without Steve Forcing! When they come up to $50 million for me, I think it’s going to happen.
Until then, I’m sorry. I have no idea. It’s all quiet on the ‘Sicario’ front. But I know that Josh (Brolin) and Benicio (del Toro) are huge fans of it. I know Emily (Blunt) enjoyed her time in the first one. So, I think we’re all game, but I just don’t know. I had an amazing time. I would love to be in the third installment, but we’ll see.
(L to R) Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin in 2015’s ‘Sicario.’
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It’s one of those “they don’t make them like that anymore” movies, where incredible dramatic performances (led by Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin) anchor a film that is full of suspense and intelligent plotting. (And it’s R-rated, so no kiddie stuff either!) It’s also remarkable for being an independent-financed entry in a brand-new franchise (which began with 2015’s Denis Villenueve-directed “Sicario“). These are very hard to come by and the recent cinematic landscape is littered with ambitious, but ultimately, failed attempts at franchise expansion (we love you “Blade Runner 2049,” but you didn’t move the needle).
It’s a fascinating and brilliantly bold move, so we were thrilled to get to chat with producer Trent Luckinbill, who runs (alongside his brother, Thad Luckinbill, and Molly Smith) Black Label Media, a kind of boutique production arm that aims squarely to create movies appreciated on both the critical and commercial level. (They had a hand in “La La Land” and were responsible for last year’s excellent, sorely underrated firefighter drama “Only the Brave.”)
In our interview, Luckinbill talks about the decision to turn “Sicario” into a franchise, whether or not Emily Blunt’s character from the first film will ever return, and what it was like working with Jerry Bruckheimer on this year’s “12 Strong.”
Moviefone: Well, I first wanted to ask about what happened with the Lionsgate relationship, because the first movie was released through them. You guys worked together on “La La Land,” obviously. But then you took this movie elsewhere. What went on? It seems like this would be a great addition to their portfolio.
Trent Luckinbill: Yeah, yeah, certainly. Well, it really wasn’t about this movie. We had some dating problems and calendar issues where we wanted Black Label to release the movies and we couldn’t quite get the spots right with them. We just basically agreed to take them and go find a different studio that had the room to put them out when we wanted to do it. It’s truly as simple as that. But they still have our international, and they’re huge fans of “Sicario.”
When did [writer] Taylor Sheridan bring up the idea of making a sequel? Or did you guys come to him with that idea?
Yeah, it’s funny. We were always kicking this around a little bit, because the script sort of left it open. It didn’t tee off anything, plot-wise, but it left it open like, boy, if people respond to these characters the way we do, and the audience reacts like we hope. We want to see more of them, and there’s more places to go. We can spend some more time with them.
“Sicario” was actually Taylor’s first movie script. He wrote that, “Wind River,” and “Hell or High Water.” He always talked about this as something where there’s more to explore. [He’d say,] “If these characters are loved, then I’ve got some more ideas.” It was always sort of floating around out there. We talked to Denis [Villeneuve] about it during the movie and after the movie, when we saw the critical response. We knew that we wanted to do more, and it sounded like there was an audience for it, so we went for it.
I remember when this one was announced there was also talk of a third movie, where there was a loose trilogy idea in place. Is that still something you guys are talking about?
Yeah, absolutely. We’re talking to Taylor about it now. It was in his head when he wrote the first one. Now that we’ve done the second one, I think it’s even more in his head, about what he’d want to do if we did a third one. So we’re having those discussions. I think we left this one in a way, even more than the first one, where it kind of suggests that there’s more to come. We’re actively looking at that as well.
How important is establishing a franchise like this to a company the size of Black Label? It seems like you kind of happened into it, but is it a priority that you have a franchise like this?
No, I mean, it’s funny. At Black Label, we’ve just been reacting to things we respond to on the page. Certainly, I think, anyone in this business hopes for trilogy opportunities or franchise opportunities. But those are really hard to come by. We’re excited that we had a movie that worked so well and everything was intact to potentially explore further. We don’t hunt them down. We don’t make it a mandate.
You mentioned a couple of our movies. Our taste is always sort of in that cross-section between critical prestige and commercial. We find that landing that balance on top of a franchise is difficult, but we’re certainly looking. We all love these stories, and when we love them we want to see more of it.I wanted to ask about “12 Strong” from earlier this year, because you guys partnered with Jerry Bruckheimer. What was that like? There’s nobody more Hollywood than that guy, and I imagine that was interesting.
It was great. Jerry is certainly one of the biggest names in the business, and he’s still one of those producers who’s like a brand in and of himself. And there’s not many of those guys left. But he was so hands-on, and I think we got a glimpse of how he’s succeeded over the years. He just really cares and pours himself into every project, from story to casting to being on set every day into the editing, where he’s just gold. He’s really great in the editing room.
It was kind of interesting, because Jerry hasn’t done a lot of independent films. Most of his stuff obviously has been at the big studios. It was a little bit of a learning experience for both of us. We were sort of teaching him, in a way, how we do things from the indie approach, and he was sprinkling in all of his experience in the studio world and how to make things as commercial as possible. We loved it. Big fans of Jerry, and we’d work with him again in a heartbeat.
I want to go back to the original announcement of “Soldado.” It was speculated that Emily Blunt would be coming back. How hard was it to make the decision that she was going to sit this one out, and have you guys talked about where her character is in the larger “Sicario” universe?
Yeah, her character is there. It’s really the decision we talked about with Taylor. He just had an idea in his head when he wrote the first one for where it would go if we did more. He really felt like it was most organic to focus on our two guys in this one and really dig into their characters more and to see them kind of pitted against each other. He didn’t feel like he could make it organic enough where it made sense. But certainly, as we look at maybe doing more, we’ve got her character squarely in mind. Taylor’s got a lot of really cool ideas.
Did Denis have any input as to who was going to be his successor?
Not as far as making the decision on Stefano [Sollima]. He’s a fan of Stefano. He’s seen the movie and he’s a huge fan of the movie. We know we hit the bullseye when you get those endorsements. We had been kicking around the idea of a second one during shooting, but you never want to put that in the director’s pad. We talked to him afterwards. He was on board. Clearly, his schedule got really busy with a lot of big movies. With his blessing and support, we went looking for a person who could deliver on that level. He was really supportive of everything and has been really helpful all the way through.
The tale of a morally compromised CIA agent (Josh Brolin), who teams with a Mexican associate (Benicio del Toro) and a plucky young agent (Emily Blunt) following some gruesome murders on this side of the border, it was the kind of stark, uncompromising movie that created a nearly unbearable level of tension and suspense with each passing moment. It was also the type of movie whose world was rich and expansive enough that it practically begged for a follow-up.
And that follow-up is finally here, in the form of “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” a movie that reunites Brolin and del Toro (Blunt sat this one out), for a story of escalating violence in Mexico and the ways in which the American government both facilitates and reinforces that violence. And when things get out of hand, it’s up to del Toro’s Alejandro to make a very difficult choice. The less you know going into the movie, the better. But it definitely delivers on the high-octane mixture of thrills and political intrigue that the first film provided, with even more insightful cultural commentary.
So you can imagine our thrill when we got to sit down with Stefano Sollima, the Italian director who took over for Villenueve and who made a movie all his own. Sollima has made a number of Italian crime movies and television series, and will next turn his attention to a big budget adaptation of beloved videogame franchise “Call of Duty.” We got his thoughts on what it was like taking over the franchise, what it has in common with the “Alien” series, and why he wants to make a videogame movie, given that genre’s track record.
Moviefone: What was it like going from Italian gangsters to the Mexican cartel? Were there similarities?
Stefano Sollima: Oh, yes. But more than the world, because the world is something you have to study a little bit before approaching a movie, it’s more that they have the same style and the same approach to the movie that I love. This, I felt, was really close to my style. And that’s the reason I said, “Absolutely, yes.”
Can you talk about your approach to shooting this movie?
Well, I used multiple cameras but only when necessary. It can get tricky. The most important part of the action is basically done with one camera, particularly the convoy sequence. It’s completely done from the inside. That’s exactly the opposite of the multiple camera concept. You make a decision, it’s a risky one, but you’ve got to make it work. So we did both. I’ll say this, when they offered me the project, I said I was going to do it — but I don’t want to use anyone from the previous movie. Because I felt that it was too interesting, the idea, to make this kind of trilogy by having different directors with the precise style and with the script that has a precise style. This is not related to the first one. It’s a stand-alone movie, essentially, where everything has a bigger scale. It’s a completely different movie, but being respectful and being in the same world. I felt it was really important to do it with a fresh point of view with fresh energy.
Did you talk to Denis before shooting?
No. I think that the movie speaks for itself, “Sicario.” And “Soldado,” the script was pretty clear. The only thing was to go deeper into these two characters and show something that was unexpected for the audience and for us too. It was a cool experience.
Was the Emily Blunt character ever in the script?
No, never.
When they announced this movie, they made it seem like you’d be back for the third movie. But it sounds like you’d want another director to come in?
Well, I haven’t spoken to Taylor [Sheridan, the screenwriter] but I’m pretty sure he’s working on it. It’s also good for this fresh, different franchise to find another director who is crazy and who has a slightly different vision but has respect for the body of work.
It’s like the “Alien” series.
Exactly! When I read the script, I thought that. It’s like “Alien.” You have some of the characters — you go back and forth in time, you don’t give a s**t. And then you find directors who have a specific vision that you can recognize. It’s exactly the example I used. This is the reason I changed everybody. It’s a challenge. It’s cool if you change.
What was it like working with these actors?
Well, they know these characters. You are in a strange position because they already have played the character, but the tricky part and the smart part of the script is, like — in the first one — they were watched by Emily Blunt’s character, and her character was a sort of audience surrogate and a moral point of view because she was judging them constantly. And in this movie, you don’t have any filter. So you have these two characters in front of you, and they are going to face so many difficulties that are going to be put in front of them that, of course they — as an actor — have to explore new aspects of their own personality. This makes the journey really interesting. Because it was a challenge for them, too. They had to say, “Okay, I was this Alejandro in the first one,” for example, “I was moved by rage, by the desire for vengeance, and now I am protecting the daughter of the guy that killed my family.”
And, for example, that beautiful scene [involving] sign language, you have a sort of tone shift in that scene where you show something unexpected. You explore deeper and deeper these characters.
Was it hard to not have that audience surrogate?
No. I love to work with anti-heroes. It’s what I’ve done all my life. And it’s one of the reasons I loved the script.
You’re about to go into an even bigger movie with “Call of Duty.” Did you play the videogame?
Of course. I’m a huge fan. Ever since I played with my two kids, and then I died much faster than them. It’s more that I play and then I watch them play.
What is the appeal for you, as a filmmaker, to do “Call of Duty”?
Most of all, I want to make it a movie. A movie is completely different than a videogame.
But people have made mistakes with videogame movies in the past.
I know, but this is just a challenge. Because basically, what you have to do is just make a great movie.
By just about any metric, 2015’s “Sicario” was a strange movie to beget a sequel, especially given that its seeming purpose was to chronicle the exasperating absence of change or progress made in the drug war. But what may be even stranger is just how good its improbable follow-up, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” actually is.
This film tells a story that somehow pushes past its predecessor’s deliberate sense of pointlessness and futility to highlight the perhaps imperceptible, but essential, differences between good and evil — even if only on an individual level — in a political landscape increasingly obfuscated by shades of grey. Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro do more excellent work fleshing out their provocatively mysterious characters from the first film, while director Stefano Sollima, taking over for Denis Villenueve, impressively wrangles some heavy-duty machinery for a series of bloody, brutal action scenes that add unpredictable edge to an engagingly contemplative narrative.
Brolin once again plays CIA operative Matt Graver, who this time is enlisted to engineer a false flag operation to incite a turf war between Mexican cartels after the U.S. government discovers that terrorists are being smuggled across the southern border. Recruiting longtime “asset,” attorney-turned-assassin Alejandro Gillick (Del Toro), Graver and his team sneak into Mexico to kidnap Isabela Reyes (Isabela Moner), the daughter of a drug lord. Though the mission is by all accounts a success, their convoy to return the girl is intercepted by Mexican police; during the ensuing firefight, Alejandro and Isabela are separated from the group.
Communicating in secret with Graver, Alejandro vows to protect his young charge and shepherd her to safety, but when the incident becomes national news, it quickly becomes a P.R. nightmare for both Graver’s superior, Cynthia Foards (Catherine Keener), and those above her who were promised absolute discretion. Before long, Foards instructs Graver to abandon rescue efforts, disband his team, and get rid of any loose ends, putting Alejandro not just in the crosshairs of the same people who hired him, but at direct odds with one of his oldest comrades. In the original “Sicario,” there was a jazzy energy to Brolin’s portrayal of Graver, an operative functioning within a world of absolute moral ambiguity but never once in doubt of his purpose, or his goals. The aggravating way his choices clashed with the ideals of Emily Blunt’s Kate Macer created an ethical dilemma that forced her character to reflect on the sacrifices required, and often invisible benchmarks, in fighting a war determined to endlessly perpetuate itself. Returning screenwriter Taylor Sheridan astutely chose not to simply replicate that quandary with another audience proxy as witness, instead challenging characters who have made peace with its unanswerability to actually question where the line exists within themselves between doing bad to accomplish good, and simply being bad.
Graver is more than willing to trade one life for the success of a mission he believes is pursuing a just cause, but what if the life is one that’s important to him? “Day of the Soladado” yanks him out of the backroom deals and decisions easily made over expensive dinners and forces him to consider their consequences, and his culpability.
Conversely, Alejandro is a man whose humanity was virtually eradicated by a tragic backstory whose details may almost justify his singular mission — to find and kill the evil people who indiscriminately target the good and innocent. Del Toro’s performance in the film showcases the toll that burden has exerted on his soul — halfway through the fake kidnapping, his vigilance is undercut by melancholic exhaustion — and paves the way for a redemptive journey that clarifies if, for him only, where that line exists between being a contract killer for “the good guys” and an amoral monster who’s lost all sense of value or respect for human life.
Meanwhile, Sheridan’s choice in the script to put a preteen girl in the midst of so much of this amplifies the intensity, but Sollima never flinches away from how awful and disorienting it would be to witness — or be part of — events that frequently explode in bloodshed. (Moner is revelatory in her role, shifting from entitlement and self-possession to suitably traumatized, and eventually, dependent in earnest upon Del Toro’s Alejandro.)
The director, who tackled a TV adaptation of “Gommorrah,” is largely unknown in the U.S., but he inherits the reins of this series with confidence, mounting action scenes involving car chases, shootouts, and helicopter showdowns that feels startlingly real. Given what’s going on with the public debate over the border wall, the movie’s subject matter is drenched in topicality, but Sollima never loses focus on the thematic underpinnings of his characters or fails to balance between those more philosophical notions and what otherwise amounts to a riveting, action-packed crime story.
Additionally, the film harkens back to the era of “Heat” and the ’90s Jack Ryan adaptations — glossy, adult-oriented, not-quite-megabudget crime and political thrillers that echo relevant cultural topics but only to enhance their own original ideas. It certainly doesn’t hurt that so much of the action feels real and avoids a lot of stylistic trickery — or at least makes the trickery subtle enough to ignore.
But ultimately, for a movie that no one was sure needed to exist, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” not only justifies its existence but adds a worthy chapter to a story that already seemed complete, and further, makes the prospect of more in the future something audiences should eagerly welcome.
The prospect of making a sequel to 2015’s “Sicario” initially seemed like a head-scratching choice, especially when it was revealed that original star Emily Blunt would not be back for the new flick. But apparently filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing, as the glowing early reactions to “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” have demonstrated.
Critics who attended advanced screenings of the flick have been taking to Twitter to praise “Soldado,” with some admitting that they were initially skeptical of the sequel. But despite Blunt’s absence, reviewers say that stars Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro shine, as does the script from returning screenwriter Taylor Sheridan.
Many critics agree that “Soldado” — which, like the first film, revolves around the ongoing drug war along the border between the U.S. and Mexico — is “timely,” with Moviefone’s own critic declaring the flick “Tense, thrilling, and surprising.” And the consensus seems to be that the franchise is ripe for yet another sequel.
The embargo is up on the SICARIO sequel and I’m happy to report that it’s excellent. It’s a very different story than the original, but it manages the same terrifyingly realistic intensity with terrific performances all around.
Taylor Sheridan’s sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado deepens the characters played by Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro in unexpected ways. Director Stefano Sollimo delivers. June 29.
Moreover, Soldado is VERY timely. There is little black and white on the border between Mexico and the US. It’s a grey zone and Sheridan’s script isn’t afraid to go there. It’s a dramatic thriller with something to say. Go see it, because I can’t wait to see a third chapter.
Happy to report ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ is *extremely* well made and features fantastic performances from Josh Brolin and Benecio del Toro. As you might expect, Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay is excellent. Really hope the film does well so they can complete the trilogy. pic.twitter.com/hLkly137jA
It’s gooooood. Or at the very least, straight up my alley. Sollima gave me the sequel I thought I didn’t want. Wonderful storytelling economy. Wicked sense of tension throughout. Wolski goes to TOWN. Brolin/Del Toro step it up. Sheridan is a beast on the page, man. Love. It.
Sicario 2 or Soldado or whatever we’re calling it is really amazing. Tense, thrilling, and surprising with solidly orchestrated set pieces and real emotion. It’s like “Clear and Present Danger” for a new generation (I mean that in a good way). And bring on part 3 (please). pic.twitter.com/wfMMlSfmEd
A new trailer for the sequel to the 2015 debuted on USA Today and it reveals a bit more of the story than the teaser. CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is given carte blanche by his bosses to go after the drug cartels and that means he’s got to get dirty. And getting dirty means hiring Alejandro (Del Toro) once again.
To start a war amongst the cartels, Alejandro kidnaps Isabela Reyes (Isabela Moner), the teen daughter of infamous kingpin Carlos Reyes. But his cold-blooded resolve starts to crack as he spends time with the girl.
“He has the chance for an eye for an eye, but sees a young girl going through what his daughter went through,” Del Toro said. “He has to decide to follow orders or protect the girl. It’s just one thing about this screenplay that makes it interesting.”
Stefano Sollima takes over directing duties from Denis Villeneuve, from a script by original screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”). Matthew Modine and Catherine Keener also star.
“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” opens in theaters June 29.
Jóhann Jóhannsson, the Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning Icelandic composer, musician and producer, died in Berlin Friday at the age of 48, Deadline reports. The cause of death was not immediately known. The late composer’s manager, Tim Husom, confirmed his death.
Jóhannsson, known for his compelling compositions that often blended edgy electronics with classical orchestrations, earned an Oscar-nomination for his “The Theory of Everything” score. His work on “Everything” also won him a Golden Globe in 2015.
He most recently provided scores for 2017’s “mother!,” 2016’s “Arrival,” and 2015’s “Sicario,” the latter marking his first collaboration with “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049” director Denis Villeneuve.
The Biblical biopic, “Mary Magdalene,” which he collaborated with Hildur Guðnadóttir on the score, is expected to be released sometime in 2018. The film, directed by Garth Davis, stars Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
In addition to his film scores, Jóhannsson had a career as a solo musician. He also composed music for TV and theater.
Husom, Jóhannsson’s manager provided the following statement to Deadline: “I’m so very sad. Today, I lost my friend, who was one of the most talented musicians and intelligent people I knew. We came a long way together.”
Jóhannsson is survived by his parents, sisters, and daughter.
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I wanted to ask about “12 Strong” from earlier this year, because you guys partnered with Jerry Bruckheimer. What was that like? There’s nobody more Hollywood than that guy, and I imagine that was interesting. 
Chances are, if you’ve seen 
In the original “Sicario,” there was a jazzy energy to Brolin’s portrayal of Graver, an operative functioning within a world of absolute moral ambiguity but never once in doubt of his purpose, or his goals. The aggravating way his choices clashed with the ideals of Emily Blunt’s Kate Macer created an ethical dilemma that forced her character to reflect on the sacrifices required, and often invisible benchmarks, in fighting a war determined to endlessly perpetuate itself. Returning screenwriter Taylor Sheridan astutely chose not to simply replicate that quandary with another audience proxy as witness, instead challenging characters who have made peace with its unanswerability to actually question where the line exists within themselves between doing bad to accomplish good, and simply being bad.
The prospect of making a sequel to 2015’s “Sicario” initially seemed like a head-scratching choice, especially when it was revealed that original star Emily Blunt would 
“No rules this time” for 