Lou Diamond Philips Teases ‘Fantastic’ Script for Young Guns 3

Young Guns was essentially The Breakfast Club of Westerns, with style to spare and a sense of humor to match. The titular characters were Emilio Estevez’s William H. Bonney AKA Billy the Kid, Kiefer Sutherland’s Josiah Gordon “Doc” Scurlock, Charlie Sheen’s Dick Brewer, Lou Diamond Phillips’ Jose Chavez y Chavez, Dermot Mulroney’s Dirty Steve Stephens, and Casey Siemaszko’s Charley Bowdre. And, in the age of legacy sequels, it was only so long before another adventure with the regulators was announced, and that’s just what happened back in 2021. But news on the project is a well that’s run dry since then. At least, until now.

Lou Diamond Phillips was asked about the status of the project on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, and he provided an enticing but only somewhat encouraging update on Young Guns 3. As the Chavez y Chavez actor put it after being asked if he would consider returning to the franchise:

“Not only would I consider it, I said ‘yes’ to it…Here’s the thing, a lot of people on the interweb, there was a rumor going around, and it’s persistent about a Young Guns 3. And it’s because Emilio wrote a script, and this is recent. This is in the last couple of years. Emilio wrote a great script…adding the timeline to put us at the age we are now.”

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Lou Diamond Phillips Says Young Guns 3 Is Still in the Works

While progress on Young Guns 3 has been slow-moving, Lou Diamond Phillips says that project is still in development.

According to Phillips, even some of those characters who died would be able to return. By the end of the first film, only Bonney, Chavez, and Scurlock walked away without fatal wounds. Young Guns II in 1990 saw Christian Slater’s “Arkansas” Dave Rudabaugh, Alan Ruck’s Hendry William French, and Balthazar Getty’s Tom O’Folliard join the fold. But, this time, Sutherland’s Doc didn’t walk away, nor did O’Folliard. And, for that matter, the audience is told that “Arkansas” Dave was beheaded and that Chavez has succumbed to the wounds he got just before Doc was killed. Phillips elaborated on which of the regulators would be able to return and which would not.

“Without giving too much away, those of us whose deaths were off-camera get to come back. It’s a fantastic script, and John Fusco, the original producer, is behind it as well, and Emilio is going to direct.”

This means that all the deaths in the first film remain canon. So, Young Guns 3 would not feature Sheen or Mulroney. And, considering Sutherland’s character dies on-screen in Young Guns II, that holds as well. But Estevez, Phillips, Slater, and Ruck are all fair game.

What’s Holding Young Guns 3 Back?

When asked what the hiccup is in the sequel’s production, Phillips was pretty clear. He cites the production company, Morgan Creek, as the main roadblock. And, yet, it’s a mystery to both him and Young Guns fans why the project has yet to receive the green light.

“Morgan Creek has put the kibosh on it for the time being. Emilio was literally doing location scouting and had done storyboards, and I saw all of this, and he was far down the road toward production. But for some reason, Morgan Creek would like to control the property, but as far as I know, they’re not doing anything with it, so it just seems really counterproductive.”

The original film scored $56 million worldwide back in 1988, which equates to $148.7 million in 2024 dollars. The sequel scored $59 million in 1990, which translates to $141.8 million now. In other words, the audience mostly held steady. Certain properties have longevity, and while Young Guns was no Beverly Hills Cop, the fandom for those two IPs isn’t so dissimilar. And, as Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F just proved on Netflix, that Eddie Murphy vehicle’s audience is still present, so there’s no reason to expect anything different from a Young Guns legacy project.