While Sicario 3 Moves Forward, 5 near-perfect thriller series for fans who love the drug-war drama

Sicario’s Next Chapter

Sicario 3 is moving ahead with Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin returning from the original cast. Padraic McKinley is set to direct, and Steven Knight has been chosen to write the screenplay.

It will be the first film in the series not written by Taylor Sheridan. Production is targeting early 2027, as Sheridan prepares for a five-year NBCUniversal deal valued at up to a billion dollars that begins in 2029.

Sheridan’s writing connected Denis Villeneuve’s formal approach with the franchise’s distrust of institutions. Knight’s background offers reason for optimism, though the change in authorship will give the next film a different sensibility.

Shared Ground With Sicario

The five series highlighted here explore territory familiar to Sicario: the machinery of the drug war, blurred lines between law enforcement and crime, and the psychological toll of working in high-pressure environments. They do not simply repeat the franchise’s formula. Each brings a distinct identity to the same broad mix of crime, moral uncertainty and tense storytelling.

Dope Thief’s Risky Scheme

Peter Craig adapted Dennis Tafoya’s novel about two DEA impersonators who mistakenly take cartel money instead of targeting local dealers. The caper-like setup grows darker and more morally complicated as the lone season unfolds.

Wagner Moura and David Tyree Henry play the central characters, bringing conflict and complexity to the roles. The contrast between the plan and what follows gives the crime thriller a comic edge alongside its darker themes.