"Stranger Things" star Matthew Modine is the newest addition to the cast of "Soldado," the sequel to the hit drug thriller "Sicario." She will join original cast members Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Donovan, who will reprise their roles as Matt Graver and Steve Forsing, respectively.
According to Deadline, Modine will play Secretary of Defense Director James Ridley and will share a lot of screen time with Catherine Keener, who will play the Deputy Director of Ridley. Aside from them, also joining the cast are Elijah Rodriguez as Miguel Hernandez, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Isabel Moner and David Castaneda. In the story, their characters will be significantly involved in the drug war in the south.
In "Stranger Things," Modine plays Dr. Martin Brenner, the one in charge of the experiments being conducted inside the Hawkins Laboratory, including testing the full power of the popular telekinetic girl, Eleven. The actor also previously appeared in "The Knight Rises," "Jobs," "Army of One" and "Weeds."
"Sicario" was one of the most critically-acclaimed movies of 2015, earning three Academy Award nominations. While the first film left everyone pleased, it did not exactly call for a sequel. However, fans were surprised and thrilled when "Soldado" was confirmed.
Tarylor Sheridan is back to write the script for the sequel, while Stefano Sollima is back in the director's chair. In his interview with We Got This Covered, Sheridan talked about the upcoming sequel and described it as "'Sicario' on steroids."
"They trusted me to just go do it, and with 'Sicario,' which I'm really proud of, it really approaches some difficult subjects. I didn't want to demean that with the second one. So I really wrote something I double dared them to actually make," said Sheridan.
Sheridan revealed that compared with "Sicario," "Soldado" is ten times more unsentimental, more spiteful and reflective. He also said he finds it funny that a lot of people think "Sicario" is about drug wars and drug cartels, when in fact it is not. The writer said the movie is about American policy and the way people police.
Production for "Soldado" is currently under way. The film is expected to premiere in the latter part of 2017.
Watch the official trailer for "Sicario" here: