The word "Sicario" means hitman, and it sounds like Emily Blunt was the latest target. She starred in the 2015 movie with Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, and they were all reported to be be returning for the sequel, titled "Soldado." Then, in June, it was reported that Blunt's FBI agent Kate Macer was dropped.

What happened?

Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan recently explained the decision to TheWrap, and the way he described it sounds like he still owes Emily Blunt a conversation on the topic. Maybe she'll even hear the explanation for the first time by reading his interview? Or maybe she heard and just doesn't accept his reasoning -- that he couldn't come up with a next chapter, even after she had signed on to return.

Here's what Sheridan told TheWrap, when asked why Blunt would no longer star in the sequel:

"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. 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 arc.

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. That said, there could be room for Kate somewhere else down the road."

So he couldn't figure out how to write a follow-up for the character -- which is more on him than the character, since there was certainly an opportunity to take that passive, betrayed Kate and show her decision to continue and attempt to regain control, even within the same world. That could've been a continuation of her unfinished arc. No need to head to a small town and kidnap her.At any rate, Sheridan did find roles for several other guys from "Sicario," including Jeffrey Donovan (Steve Forsing), who talked to Collider about "Soldado":

"I know I was in it, but as a fan of 'Sicario,' I can't believe they're making another one, which is so awesome. And I'm in it, which is even more awesome. I thought 'Sicario' was one of the best films, in the last five years, that I've seen. I really believe that. I was just lucky to be in a small portion of it. The story picks up with the same male characters that were in Sicario, which was Josh [Brolin] and Benicio [Del Toro]. Emily Blunt's character is not in it, but my character, Forsing, is also brought back. It focuses on these three characters now, going down into Mexico to basically start a war, on purpose, between the rival Mexican cartels. There's a bigger reason for it, but that's the beginning of the movie."

Donovan added that "Soldado" is "more of a stand-alone spinoff" than a sequel or a prequel. "It really is yet another examination told from this male point of view, rather than from a female point of view. It's pretty cool."

In addition to Blunt being dropped, director Denis Villeneuve is also gone, with Stefano Sollima stepping in as director. There's no official release date yet for "Soldado" but it's expected in 2017.

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