Although there have been countless westerns made about the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid, there are few as spectacular as 1988’s “Young Guns.” Starring Emilio Estevez as the quick-draw leader of the Regulators, the film is a semi-fictitious take on the historical Lincoln County War. Estevez shines as a young Billy here, and armed with a powerful cast of Brat Pack stars, the film made back three times as much as it cost to make. It’s no wonder a sequel, “Young Guns II,” hit theaters only two years later, though it didn’t live up to the success of the original. Still, these movies have made quite the impact on viewers over the years and continue to keep us interested in Billy’s misadventures.

Over 30 years later, Estevez announced that “Young Guns III: Dead or Alive” is finally happening, but before Billy the Kid returns to the big screen, we should check in on where the cast is today. While some members of the “Young Guns” crew saw their careers grow exceptionally after their time with the Regulators, others fell a bit further off the beaten trail. Here’s what we know about many of the stars from the first two “Young Guns” films, some of whom may just return for the long-anticipated third chapter.

At the start of the first “Young Guns,” William H. Bonney is nothing more than an orphan with a penchant for violent crime. Directionless and trigger-happy, Billy falls in with the Regulators. But after the death of their mentor, the gang sets out for revenge. Eventually, Billy becomes the most notorious member, and news of him spreads like wildfire. It’s no wonder that Billy is the star of the show, the driving force of this gun-toting group of youngsters — one who may or may not have survived his last fateful encounter with the law.

Following “Young Guns II,” Emilio Estevez immediately landed a leading role as Coach Gordon Bombay in a new film series, “The Mighty Ducks.” Estevez concurrently starred in a variety of films throughout the 1990s, including “National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon,” “Another Stakeout,” and “Freejack.” He even appeared in (though was not credited for) the 1996 “Mission: Impossible.” Additionally, Estevez began a directorial career with the 1986 crime romance “Wisdom” and has helmed five more theatrical releases since, most recently 2018’s “The Public.”

Estevez only starred in one other western, a television movie titled “Dollar for the Dead” in 1998. Decades later, he reprised his role as Gordon Bombay in the short-lived Disney+ drama “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.” Estevez has single-handedly kept the hope for “Young Guns 3” alive and will no doubt star in the film whenever it gets made.

As Josiah Gordon “Doc” Scurlock, Kiefer Sutherland plays the most sensitive member of the Regulators. Not only is Doc handy with a gun, but he can wield a pen as well. As the group’s resident poet and scholar, Doc instantly falls for Yen Sun (Alice Carter), the Chinese “mistress” of their enemy. Against all odds and hopes, Doc pursues Yen, and eventually she falls for him. Standing tall with his friends, Doc is one of the few Regulators to make it to the sequel, though he sacrifices himself to save the lives of his friends.

After starring in some great films in the late ’80s, Sutherland took the ’90s by storm, with movies like “Flatliners,” “A Few Good Men,” “The Three Musketeers,” and “Dark City” under his belt. But it was the 21st century when Sutherland really made a name for himself. Playing Jack Bauer on the hit Fox series “24,” Sutherland starred in nine seasons, a television movie, and a revival series. Following “24,” he starred in the short-lived “Touch” between 2012 and 2013 and then the ABC-turned-Netflix series “Designated Survivor” from 2016 to 2019. In 2024, he played Larry Lasker in Clint Eastwood’s courtroom drama “Juror No. 2.”

Part-Mexican, part-Navajo, Jose Chavez y Chavez is the knife-wielding, peyote-toting, mysterious member of the Regulators. In both films, he is the moral compass, the guiding light of the Regulators. Even when his ideas fall short, he always comes through in a fight. Proving the rest of the gang wrong, he sticks true to his path and fights on behalf of all those he’s lost. His death in “Young Guns II” is among the more emotional beats in the picture, and we’re just as sad as Billy is to see him go.

While Chavez remains one of Lou Diamond Phillips’ favorite roles, he also played Jim Chee in “The Dark Wind,” Monfriez in “Courage Under Fire,” and Cisco in “The Big Hit.” In 1994, he directed both “Dangerous Touch” and “Sioux City,” and later went on to direct over a dozen episodes of television. Speaking of TV, after years of playing smaller parts (including many more comic book roles than you realized) and the cancelation of “Stargate Universe,” Phillips was cast as Henry Standing Bear on the A&E-turned-Netflix neo-western “Longmire.” For six seasons, he perfectly embodied Henry, and audiences still love him for it. Ever since, he has appeared in shows like “Prodigal Son,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Ranch.”

Despite his brother starring in the leading role, Charlie Sheen’s Richard “Dick” Brewer couldn’t have been any different from Billy. The original leader of the Regulators, Dick directs the boys at Murphy after their mentor is killed, leading to his own death. No matter how hard he tries to keep Billy in line, nothing quite sticks. As a result, he’s killed in the first movie, though the Regulators honor his memory by avenging him.

Following “Young Guns,” Sheen reunited with Kiefer Sutherland for “The Three Musketeers” and his brother in “Men at Work” (among other projects). He starred in a variety of films in the next decade, but things took a turn in 2000 when he landed a role on the Michael J. Fox series “Spin City.” Once that ended, he was quickly cast as Charlie Harper on CBS’s “Two and a Half Men.” During his time on the show, Sheen became the highest-paid actor on television, but all that changed when an array of legal issues prompted the network to fire him in 2011. Since then, we rarely hear from Sheen anymore, though he starred in 2017’s “9/11” and appeared on the Max original “Bookie” in 2024.

Casey Siemaszko’s Charlie Bowdre grows from a moronic gunslinger to a more introspective character by the end of “Young Guns.” Forever loyal to his friends, Charlie leaves his new Mexican bride in order to see their journey through, and though he’s the one to deliver the final blow to famed bounty hunter John Kinney (Allen Keller), he doesn’t make it out alive. Though the real-life Charlie lived a bit longer than the movie version, this Regulator goes out in style.

Following “Young Guns,” Siemaszko reprised his role as “3-D” in “Back to the Future Part II” and played Curley in the 1992 Gary Sinise adaptation of “Of Mice and Men.” Into the 2000s, he performed guest parts in episodes of “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.,” “Oz,” “Chicago Sons,” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” before landing the recurring role of Captain Pat Fraker in “NYPD Blue.” Siemaszko has also played Detective Dan Williams on “Damages,” Allen Blume in “NYC 22,” and various characters on “Law & Order.” In addition to smaller roles in “The Phantom” and “Public Enemies,” Siemaszko lends his vocal talents to video games too, including western legends “Red Dead Revolver” and “Red Dead Redemption 2.”

Known as the racist Regulator, “Dirty” Steve Stephens was brought to life masterfully by Dermot Mulroney. Steve is a perfect example of John Tunstall’s dream realized. Over the course of the first film, he recognizes the value of others and begins to change. Not entirely, mind you; he reverts back to his old ways the moment he thinks Chavez has abandoned them, but there’s a reason this Regulator is willing to lay down his own life by the end.

After “Young Guns,” Mulroney has not struggled to find work. After a leading role in “Cruel Opportunities,” he was featured in 1995’s “Copycat” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding” in 1997. Throughout the 2000s, he appeared in movies like “The Wedding Date” and “Zodiac” to “Burn After Reading” and “J. Edgar” before tackling meatier roles in “The Grey,” “Jobs,” and “Insidious: Chapter 3.” However, he too has since pivoted to television, starting with short-lived shows like “Crisis” and “Pure Genius.” Since then, Mulroney played recovering addict Sean Pierce for years on “Shameless” and, most recently, Chief Dom Pascal on “Chicago Fire.” Oh, and he’s a cellist too, having contributed to various movie scores over the years.

The only man to believe in the Regulators, John Tunstall took each of these street urchins in as his own, committing himself to their education and betterment. While many didn’t understand his methods, Billy quickly found a home on Tunstall’s land … at least until Murphy had his mentor executed in broad daylight. Tunstall wasn’t in “Young Guns” for long, but he had a profound impact on the rest of the picture.

Known best as General Zod in “Superman II,” Terence Stamp’s next most notable role was nearly a decade after “Young Guns” in “The Limey,” which showed Stamp’s chops as an action star. Afterward, he played Chancellor Valorum in “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” Terry Stricter in “Bowfinger,” Stick in “Elektra,” and returned to the Superman universe as the voice of Jor-El on the prequel series “Smallville.” Additionally, Stamp was featured in the 2011 thriller “The Adjustment Bureau,” the 1994 dark comedy “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” and, most recently, 2021’s “Last Night in Soho.”

The villain of the story, Jack Palance plays Lawrence Murphy, a local businessman who wants to edge Tunstall out of his territory in order to strike up a monopoly on the Lincoln County cattle industry. Murphy has no problem using violent means as a way to achieve his ends and clearly holds little regard for human life. We see this especially in his treatment of Yen Sun. In the end, Billy gives Murphy what’s coming to him.

In the western world, Palance is best known for his role as Jack Wilson in the 1953 film “Shane,” but following “Young Guns,” his career was quite limited. After playing Grissom in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman,” Palance appeared in “City Slickers” (which earned him a Golden Globe), “Tango & Cash,” and a large handful of made-for-TV productions, many of them adapting classics like “Treasure Island” and “A Christmas Carol.” In 2006, Palance died of natural causes, with his final on-screen role being “Poppy” Davitch in a 2004 television adaptation of Anne Tyler’s “Back When We Were Grownups.”

As Tunstall’s lawyer, Alex McSween gets himself in a heap of trouble by standing up to a man like Murphy. While he can’t fight back the same way the Regulators can (that would void his life insurance policy), he can do so in other ways. Unsurprisingly, this gets him killed, leaving his wife, Susan (Sharon Thomas), now one of the biggest cattlewomen in the country. In the end, he gave his life for Tunstall’s dream, and that outlasted all of them.

Everyone has likely seen Terry O’Quinn in something before. After “Young Guns,” the actor was Howard Hughes in “The Rocketeer” and John Clum in “Tombstone,” but it’s his TV work that really shines. After appearing on “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Earth 2,” and “JAG,” O’Quinn began collaborating with Chris Carter on “Millennium,” where he played Peter Watts; “Harsh Realm,” where he was General Omar Santiago; and in both “The X-Files” series and the first movie. But beyond that, O’Quinn became most famous for his part as John Locke on “Lost,” which earned him a Saturn Award and several nominations. Since then, he has been seen on “The Blacklist,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” and “The Walking Dead: Those Who Live.”

Only twice in “Young Guns” does Patrick Wayne show up as Pat Garrett, but both times he makes an impression. The first time Pat and Billy meet, they are introduced to one another and seem quite amicable. But later, when Pat arrives to warn Billy, it’s under more deadly circumstances. The end coda for “Young Guns” claims that Pat Garrett eventually killed Billy the Kid, but Wayne doesn’t return for the sequel, so we’ll save that story for the next star.

The son of famed Hollywood icon John Wayne, Patrick Wayne often appeared alongside his father between the 1950s and the 1970s. By the time “Young Guns” was released, Wayne’s career was slowing down. The actor appeared in “Her Alibi” with Tom Selleck and a few other long-forgotten titles, as well as episodes of “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” and the ABC soap opera “All My Children.” Since his final dramatic appearance in the 1997 film “Deep Cover,” Wayne has left acting behind. He has since turned his attention to the John Wayne Cancer Institute, which became Saint John’s Cancer Institute in 2021.

Evidently, “Young Guns II” couldn’t convince Wayne to return, so Pat Garrett was recast, with William Petersen taking on the role. Having been recently elected sheriff of Lincoln County, Pat cannot tolerate Billy’s antics any longer. The sequel establishes that Pat was once a Regulator himself and shares a close kinship with Billy. But he must betray his friend under the orders of New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace (Scott Wilson). Though he seemingly kills Billy, the film leaves it up to interpretation as to what actually happened in the end.

Following “Young Guns II,” Petersen starred in the 1992 rom-com “Hard Promises,” the ensemble comedy “Passed Away,” and the 1996 drama “Fear,” alongside Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. He even played Gideon Walker in “Return to Lonesome Dove,” John F. Kennedy in “The Rat Pack,” and Jack Hathaway in “The Contenders.” But TV fans undoubtedly know Petersen best as Dr. Gil Grissom on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” a role he’d play for over a decade, including on spin-offs such as “Without a Trace,” the TV movie “CSI: Immortality,” and the short-lived 2021 sequel, “CSI: Vegas.”

A new recruit in “Young Guns II,” “Arkansas” Dave Rudabaugh fills the role of “Dirty” Steve from the previous film, always choosing prejudice and violence wherever he goes. Still, he’s quite handy in a gunfight, and alongside Billy the Kid, the Regulators are basically unstoppable. Until they’re hunted down by their former comrade Pat Garrett, that is. While Dave technically makes it out of “Young Guns II” alive (meaning he could potentially appear in a sequel), the epilogue states that he was beheaded in Mexico. Tough break.

Of course, Christian Slater was just getting started after “Young Guns II.” Throughout the ’90s, he appeared in plenty of major motion pictures, including “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” “Interview with a Vampire,” “True Romance,” “Broken Arrow,” “Very Bad Things,” and “Hard Rain.” Between movies and TV, Slater has been a busy guy. In the 21st century, he played Alex Donovan on “The Forgotten,” Oz on “Breaking In,” Joe’s father in the “Nymphomaniac” movies, Deadshot in various DC Comics animated productions, and Mr. Robot on, well, “Mr. Robot.” In the 2020s, he’s appeared on “Inside Job,” “Dr. Death,” and “Dexter: Original Sin” — oh, and he voices himself (sort of) on “Archer.”

Another new addition to the Regulators, Hendry William French — clearly based on historical Regulators Henry Brown and Jim French — joins up after his farm is stolen from him. Since John Chisum (James Coburn) refuses to help, he stands with the only man who will: Billy the Kid. The only new Regulator to survive the film, French takes off at the end of “Young Guns II,” deciding that the life of the outlaw is not for him. Could Ruck return for “Young Guns 3”? It’s certainly possible.

Though always associated with Cameron Frye in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Alan Ruck has had a career long after his teenage years. After “Young Guns II,” he appeared in ’90s classics like “Speed,” “Twister,” and the controversial “Star Trek: Generations.” Additionally, Ruck was a recurring character on various shows throughout the decade, eventually joining Charlie Sheen on “Spin City.” From there, Ruck showed up in everything from “CSI” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening” to “The Exorcist” TV series and “Greek.” In 2018, Ruck landed a main cast role as Connor Roy on HBO’s “Succession,” and many have seen him in a new light since.

The last of the new Regulators, Balthazar Getty plays Tom O’Folliard, a kid infatuated by the stories of Billy the Kid who desires to be like him. It’s through Tom that Billy sees the type of rabble he inspires, and with Tom’s death, he’s forced to reckon with the life he’s pulled his friends into. Tom may not be much more than a young kid trying to be like his gunslinging idol, but he manages to impact how you watch “Young Guns II” profoundly.

As for Getty? Well, he played Ralph in “The Lord of the Flies” the same year “Young Guns II” hit theaters and would later show up in the Sylvester Stallone-led “Judge Dredd,” Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers,” and “Charmed,” where he played Richard Montana for several episodes. Afterwards, he was cast as Thomas Grace on “Alias” and another Tommy on “Brothers & Sisters.” He has since shown up in everything from “The Judge” with Robert Downey Jr. to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”