Overview

• Sheridan rejected a producer’s early request to rewrite Kate Macer as a male lead, responding with strong language and severing ties with the advocate.
• Director Denis Villeneuve’s attachment to Sicario halted further attempts to alter Macer’s gender and preserved Sheridan’s original vision.
• Kate Macer was inspired by a real FBI operative whose sacrifices underscored the moral ambiguity of the U.S. war on drugs.
• Sheridan conducted on-ground research in Mexico into cartel brutality but deliberately omitted the most graphic details from his screenplay.
• Emily Blunt’s nuanced performance as Macer validated Sheridan’s fight and anchored the film’s gritty, morally complex narrative.