The plot, casting, and timeline details for Young Guns 3 have been revealed by original star Emilio Estevez. Estevez was one of the core stars of Young Guns, which also starred Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Charlie Sheen. Most of the principal cast then reprised their roles in the sequel Young Guns II in 1990. In 2021, Estevez confirmed that Young Guns 3 is in development, but there have been delays in getting the project off the ground. Recently, though, it seems the movie has begun to gain traction.

In an interview on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused, Estevez revealed that he has been going through a potential casting list for Young Guns 3, which he got “the night before I arrived here.” From there, he said, “I’m gonna start going through those and start putting together who I think are our candidates.” He confirmed that Phillips and Christian Slater will both return, as neither of their characters died on camera. He also revealed that the death of his own character, Billy the Kid, wasn’t seen on camera, suggesting he will also reprise his role. Check out Estevez’s comments below:

Lou returns. Christian Slater returns. We didn’t see either of them die on camera. We certainly didn’t see Billy the Kid die on camera. And if you wanna continue the narrative of the Brushy Bill story, there’s a potential for three, four, five. Whether I’m in the other, the next installment is — but I already have an idea for what that is. For what four is.

On the topic of whether Jon Bon Jovi has been in contact about contributing to the film, as he wrote a song for Young Guns II and had a cameo, Estevez laughed and said, “I am not allowed to say!” He then added that the singer is “very enthusiastic” about being involved. He then went on to share the тιтle and more specific plot details, explaining:

Young Guns 3: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ or Alive. So it begs the question, is he ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, is he alive? It also tucks into Jon’s song “Wanted ᴅᴇᴀᴅ or Alive.” So there’s that little Easter egg. But, it does center on a bunch of new regulators. Mostly Latino. Indigenous people. Most of the film takes place in Mexico. And it falls on the eve of the Mexican Revolution. So you have a young Pancho Villa, who was 28 at the time.

You have his group of soldados, true believers and revolutionaries, who are all kids. You had a human trafficking ring going on on the border. He was taking kids from the pueblos and consigning them to his army. They were grabbing kids off the orphan train, and there was a whole cabal of people. The Germans were there. There was so much history that was going on on the border. And then, of course, during the Mexican Revolution, the Germans were funding Pancho Villa, because the Americans were just, were not interested, they looked down their noses.

So the Germans were providing gold and arms, and they were also spying on America. This was also a few years before World War I. And all this is happening south of the border. And Billy the Kid meets Pancho Villa, and he is asked to come along and train his young men. So that’s basically the story. I become the Tunstall character in many ways, and bring this group of mostly Latino young men through their paces, and then all hell breaks loose. The set-up is great. The set-up is a lot of fun… It’s a big Latino cast. A big Indigenous people cast, without feeling like… it feels natural.

What This Means For Young Guns 3

The Movie Could Be An Epic Edition To The Franchise

Estevez’s reveal regarding the plot and timeline for Young Guns 3 suggests it will be an epic and sprawling tale, and one that could serve as the most action-packed installment of the franchise. It will be interesting to see how the movie will incorporate Slater, Phillips, and Estevez, and whether there could be more Young Guns cast members making appearances in the film. Now that de-aging techniques have improved dramatically, it is more viable than ever to have older actors playing younger characters, and this could well be the case here.

It is unclear at this point whether the movie will have a planned theatrical release, or whether it will be direct to streaming, but an ambitious project such as this would need a good budget. Whether the appeтιтe is there for more Young Guns movies remains to be seen, but Estevez clearly has high hopes for the movie, as he admitted to already having an idea in mind for a fourth film. If Young Guns 3 comes to fruition, it could spawn a new legacy for the franchise, spanning multiple movies in the process.

Our Take On A New Young Guns Movie

It Feels Like The Ship Has Sailed On This Idea

While the idea of Young Guns 3 has plenty of merit, and it would be exciting to see the cast return, there are some concerns. Young Guns II was released in 1990, and 35 years is a long time to maintain the interest in a sequel. A reboot might have been a better and more effective way of exploring the franchise again. Though there are plenty of great Westerns on Netflix, and Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Westerns have generated new interest in the genre, Young Guns 3 might have a harder time. However, Estevez’s enthusiasm could be exactly what the movie needs to ultimately succeed.

Source: Happy Sad Confused