Shubhabrata Dutta
‘The Usual Suspects,’ ‘Traffic,’ ‘21 Grams,’ ‘Snatch,’ ‘Sin City,’ ‘Che,’ ‘Escobar: Paradise Lost,’ and ‘Sicario’; Benicio Del Toro has given us some of the most memorable performances and, by extension, some of the most memorable movies ever. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Silver Bear, Cannes Film Festival Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Sundance Film Festival Awards, and Venice Film Festival Awards, del Toro’s performances have been mesmerizing audiences for more than three decades.
Benicio del Toro is the fourth living actor to win an Oscar for non-English characters and the third Puerto Rican actor to win it. However, his talents as a fierce actor transcend any achievement, and this is what makes his fans wait for his upcoming projects.
1. Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Event Film (2025)
Del Toro will star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Wood Harris, Regina Hall, and Alana Haim in an upcoming film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. We do not know anything about the plot but we do know that the film has reached its post-production phase and even has a release date: August 8, 2025. More details about this secretive project are awaited.
2. The Phoenician Scheme (2025)
The Wes Anderson directorial has reached its post-production stage. The twist-filled plot is a dark tale of espionage and explores a strained father-daughter relationship within a family business, underscored by betrayals and morally gray choices. The story has been written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, who reunite as co-writers after ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ (2007), ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ (2012), ‘Isle of Dogs’ (2018), ‘The French Dispatch’ (2021) and ‘Asteroid City’ (2023), all of which have been directed by Anderson. It stars del Toro, Michael Cera, Bill Murray, and Mia Threapleton. Scarlett Johansson, Willem Dafoe, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Rupert Friend, and Benedict Cumberbatch are also in the film. It will be released in Germany on February 13, 2025. A release date for the US is eagerly awaited although we can expect it to drop in 2025 itself.
3. White Lies (TBA)
Del Toro is no stranger to complex characters; we get this by now, don’t we? And with ‘White Lies,’ he is taking a step further in that direction as a child of divorce who treats his son the same way he himself was treated or rather mistreated by his parents. Ultimately, his sense of confinement makes him leave for a journey of lust, one that only adds to his sense of being lost. It is only after he meets a woman with a lifestyle that is opposite to his own, which speaks the flame of rediscovery within him. The movie is written and directed by Oliver Stone, who created masterpieces like ‘Platoon’ and ‘Born on the Fourth of July.’ The film is in its pre-production stage and more details are awaited.
4. Sicario 3 (TBA)
Yes, it is happening! Producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee have confirmed that the third installment of the ‘Sicario‘ franchise is in the works, based on a story by Taylor Sheridan. However, due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the script was at a halt. Speaking with The Messenger about the threequel, Iwanyk stated, “I can’t wait for Sicario 3. I could watch Benicio [Del Toro] play that guy forever. I mean, I can watch Benicio in anything, but with that character, it doesn’t get old.” With Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro as CIA operatives, the two movies deal with issues at the US-Mexico border from both the angles of microcosm and macrocosm.
While there are no other updates about the plot, the story might just pick up from where ‘Sicario: Day Of The Soldado’ ended, i.e., Del Toro’s Alejandro surviving despite getting badly shot. We can also expect Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro to return as well. It waits to be seen whether Denis Villeneuve returns to direct this one. Further updates are awaited.
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