Fans of Den of Thieves have had their patience tried over the last five years as they waited for the long-expected sequel. The original film premiered in 2018 with Gerard Butler starring as Detective Nick "Big Nick" O'Brien and O'Shea Jackson Jr. as the cunning thief, Donnie Wilson. As reported previously, the title of the sequel, Den of Thieves: Pantera, and other details were released in early 2022 and production was expected to begin in spring of 2022. However, the film never materialized, leaving fans of the gritty heist film disappointed.
It's one year later, and audiences can finally expect the long-awaited return of "Big Nick." In a recent interview with INVERSE, Butler, who will be reprising his role, clarified the delay saying, "We didn't start production. We were about to start production. But now I'm shooting it in a couple of months.”
It's unclear if fans should expect any changes to the initial reports on the film, which had Jackson, Meadow Williams, and Swen Temmel "50 Cent" Curtis returning to the cast with Butler in addition to the return of Christian Gudegast, director/writer for Den of Thieves. With only a year of delay, it's likely there won't be too much deviation from the previous plans for the sequel, but details are still unconfirmed.
Gerard Butler Says Den of Thieves 2 is "A Lot More Fun"
With violence to spare, the first film in the franchise provided an action-packed, cops and robbers adventure for audiences, ending with Jackson's character escaping to London, and according to a previous interview with Butler, "We're Europe-bound, we're still on the hunt for Donnie who's now on the diamond district in Marseilles. I go over to hunt him down, but with different intentions than you might imagine. So we're gonna be in Marseilles, the Alps and London - it's definitely a more glamorous journey than the last one, and probably a more fun, sexy journey."
It's unconfirmed if the coming production will follow the same locations and plot that Butler previously mentioned, but it's safe to say that Den of Thieves: Pantera seems international bound. Butler teased the sequel, "This one's a lot more fun," he said, "Last one was down and dirty and dealt with marital issues and some heavy stuff," Butler continued, “It's a great script, Christian [Gudegast]’s a wonderful writer."
Despite Den of Thieves being considered a critical failure, the movie was a smashing success at box offices, stacking $80.5 million gross sales against its $30 million budget. Over the years, the film has garnered a cult following and Gerard Butler, who recently sat down for an interview with MovieWeb, hasn't lost any steam in his career. If Den of Thieves: Pantera delivers what it's promising, another box office success is on the horizon. With production beginning this spring, fans should expect the film's release sometime next year.