Emily Blunt Returns for Sicario 3 with Brolin and Del Toro

Emily Blunt will return for a third "Sicario" film alongside Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, Deadline first reported. The move reunites the three stars of the 2015 original for a franchise entry that no studio has yet claimed.

Production is expected to begin at the top of next year. Producers Thunder Road and Black Label Media will be shopping the starry action vehicle to buyers — unlikely IP that has nonetheless now spanned three films and three filmmakers.

Who is making Sicario 3?

Padraic McKinley will direct. This year he helmed the Western "The Weight," starring Ethan Hawke. Steven Knight, creator of "Peaky Blinders," is writing the script. Plot details are being kept under wraps.

The producing team spans both companies and the franchise's history:

• Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill produce for Black Label Media
• Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee produce for Thunder Road
• Ed McDonnell also returns as a producer on the franchise

Why does Blunt's return matter?

Landing Blunt at the height of her stardom is a significant get, especially because "Sicario" was never envisioned as a franchise to which she would be contracted for multiple films. In the original, she starred as an FBI agent brought along with a crew pursuing a Mexican drug cartel, only to discover the operation goes far deeper than she presumed.

The 2015 film, written by Taylor Sheridan and directed by Denis Villeneuve, put Villeneuve on the map and grossed just shy of $85 million worldwide for Lionsgate. Sheridan had, in effect, an unofficial trilogy of his own within three years: "Sicario," "Hell or High Water" and "Wind River." Villeneuve moved on to his own trilogy, adapting "Dune."

The 2018 sequel, "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," directed by Stefano Sollima and released by Sony, made $75.8 million worldwide. Brolin and Del Toro starred in both earlier films; Blunt did not appear in the sequel.

What is Blunt doing next?

Blunt is having a banner year between "Disclosure Day" for Steven Spielberg and "The Devil Wears Prada 2." She will next be seen in "A Quiet Place Part III."

With no studio attached, the next milestone for "Sicario 3" is a distribution deal — and the question of whether Blunt's name can push the third film past the original's $85 million benchmark.