The first two movies are nostalgic cult favorites but why did Young Guns 3 never happen? The western genre suffered a large dip in popularity during the late 1960s. Westerns used to be one of Hollywood's staple genres, with major examples including The Searchers or The Magnificent Seven, but audience tastes began to change and by the 1970s, they gradually became rarer outside of John Wayne movies like Rio Lobo or Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales.
The genre is unlikely to regain its former box-office glory, but there's still great westerns being made like Bone Tomahawk or The Hateful Eight; Red Dead Redemption 2 is also keeping them alive in gaming. The genre was in pretty dire straits during the 1980s, with the infamous flop of mega-budget western Heaven's Gate likely making studios swear off them. An exception was Young Guns, which cast prominent members of the Brat Pack like Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland and told the story of Billy The Kid and his Regulators. It took quite a few liberties with history but was a solid hit, so Young Guns II was quickly put together and was another success.
Despite the success of the first two entries, here's why Young Guns 3 never came together.
Young Guns II Ended Billy The Kid's Story
The first movie ended with Emilio Estevez's Billy and the surviving Regulator's going their separate ways, but Young Guns II concluded his story. It detailed his conflict with Pat Garrett (William Petersen, CSI), the gradual erosion of his gang and his documented death - though it introduces plenty of ambiguity on that front. Basically, Young Guns II wrapped up Billy The Kid's story, so it's hard to see where Young Guns 3 could have gone.
Most Of The Young Guns Characters Were Killed Off
Just like in real-life, a decent chunk of Billy The Kid's associates are dead by the end of Young Guns II, outside of Alan Ruck's (Ferris Ferris Bueller's Day Off) Hendry William French. In reality, Kiefer Sutherland's Doc Scurlock lived to the age of 80, but a scheduling conflict with the actor saw his character gunned down midway through the sequel.
Young Guns 3 Could Potentially Focus On Brushy Bill Roberts
Young Guns II frames the story as being told by Brushy Bill Roberts - played by Emilio Estevez in old-age makeup - who in real-life claimed to be Billy The Kid, who apparently faked his death with Pat Garrett's help. In an interview with The CW Twin Cities, Estevez more or less dismissed the notion of Young Guns 3 but claimed a story focusing on Brushy Bill Roberts could be one angle to approach it.
There were reports of a Young Guns reboot - either in the form of a movie or TV series - in 2017, but little has been heard from that project. Young Guns 3 is very unlikely by this point, so a reboot is the only likely path the franchise can take.