Moviefone Editorial

Tag: christian-gudegast

‘Den of Thieves 3’ in the Works
(L to R) Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres.

Preview:
- A third ‘Den of Thieves’ movie is in development.
- Gerard Butler will return as Nicholas “Big Nick” O’Brien.
- Christian Gudegast is in talks to write and direct.
Since it opened domestically back on January 10th, action thriller sequel ‘Den of Thieves: Pantera’ has proved to be something of a success for Lionsgate –– which certainly needed one after its nightmare run of box office bombs last year.
sLGPmVhVzbY5A4xaKcZem1
So it won’t surprise you to learn that the studio is looking to get a third entry in the ‘Thieves’ franchise up and running as soon as possible.

Lionsgate has announced that star/producer Gerard Butler and co-star O’Shea Jackson Jr. are both likely to return for the new entry, while writer/director Christian Gudegast is also in talks to make it.

The new movie is now in active development.

Related Article: Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. Talk ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’

What’s the story of ‘Den of Thieves’ so far?

(L to R) Maurice Compte and Gerard Butler in ‘Den of Thieves’. Photo: STXfilms.

The original, directed by Gudegast from his script (itself based on a story he concocted with Paul Scheuring), is a gritty L.A.-set crime saga following the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew.

The outlaws, led by Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber), make a violent armed attack and hijack an armored truck. Police officers arrive on the scene and engage in a shootout with the robbers.

Eventually, Merrimen and his crew escape with the empty armored truck. In the morning, Detective Nick O’Brien (Butler) investigates the crime scene, having been monitoring Merrimen and his crew for a while. Suspecting a local bartender named Donnie (Jackson Jr.) for involvement, Nick finds him at the bar and kidnaps him for interrogation. Donnie reveals Merrimen is planning to rob the Federal Reserve on Friday of that week by covertly removing about $30 million in old bills which are scheduled to be shredded after their serial numbers are deleted from computer records…

The cast also included the likes of 50 Cent, Meadow Williams, Brian Van Holt and Maurice Compte.

(L to R) Pablo Schreiber as Ray Merrimen and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson in ‘Den of Thieves’. Photo: STXfilms.

That first movie, released by STX and Relativity in January 2018, carried a $30 million budget and opened to $15.2 million, eventually ending up with more than $80 million worldwide.

Following STX’s financial difficulties the producers brought the sequel to Lionsgate.

‘Den of Thieves: Pantera’ picks up the story as Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie, who is embroiled in the treacherous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.

Through the past three weeks in theaters, ‘Pantera’ has grossed $32 million at the domestic box office, standing as Lionsgate’s highest-grossing film in theaters since the start of 2024.

The film was released on premium on-demand last week and has earned more than $41 million worldwide so far.

What will ‘Den of Thieves 3’ be about?

(L to R) O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson and Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres.

At this early stage, Lionsgate is keeping the potential plot for the new movie quiet but given that ‘Pantera’ ends with Big Nick double crossing Donnie and Donnie ending up in prison, only to be broken out and find himself summoned by the gangster he stole the jewels from, we’ll see them both back in action.

However it turns out, Tucker Tooley Entertainment and Butler‘s G-BASE companies will once more be producing the mayhem.

Here’s what Jackson Jr. told Variety about a potential future for the franchise before the new one was announced:

“I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: I’m trying to Vin Diesel this thing. To quote Ryan Reynolds, I want to work with Gerard until he’s 90. I have such a family feel with these guys. I know how much I want to do these other films, but we cannot cheapen this beautiful thing that we made. This one took six or seven years to get done. I hope the next one doesn’t. In our heart of hearts, we won’t make it if it’s not right and if it’s not the same thing that made audiences fall in love with the franchise in the first place.”

Given how quickly this new one has dashed into development, he may get his wish… And we could be looking at ‘Den of Thieves: Care Home Heist’ in a couple of decades.

When will the third ‘Den of Thieves’ movie be in theaters?

Lionsgate hasn’t yet announced when the new ‘Den of Thieves’ might head to theaters, but given the success of the second, we’d expect this one to be fast-tracked.

Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

Other Gerard Butler Action Movies:
- ‘300‘ (2007)
- ‘RocknRolla‘ (2008)
- ‘Gamer‘ (2009)
- ‘Law Abiding Citizen‘ (2009)
- ‘Olympus Has Fallen‘ (2013)
- ‘London Has Fallen‘ (2016)
- ‘Geostorm‘ (2017)
- ‘Den of Thieves‘ (2018)
- ‘Hunter Killer‘ (2018)
- ‘Angel Has Fallen‘ (2019)
- ‘Greenland‘ (2020)
- ‘Copshop‘ (2021)
- ‘Last Seen Alive‘ (2022)
- ‘Plane‘ (2023)
- ‘Kandahar‘ (2023)
- ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera‘ (2025)
Buy Tickets: ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Den of Thieves’ On Amazon
JqJA1Z3N
January 31, 2025
‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’s Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
uab4gVTU
Opening in theaters on January 10th is the follow up to 2018’s action classic ‘Den of Thieves’, entitled ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’, which is once again written and directed by Christian Gudegast.

The movie features Gerard Butler (‘Law Abiding Citizen’) and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (‘Straight Outta Compton’) reprising their roles as Big Nick and Donnie, respectively, but also includes new cast members Evin Ahmed (‘Girls of the Sun’), Michael Bisping (‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’), and Salvatore Esposito (‘Fargo’).

Related Article: Gerard Butler and Mike Colter Talk New Action-Adventure Thriller ‘Plane’

(L to R) Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. star in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. to talk about their work on ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’, what fans of the original can expect from the new sequel, the incredible action sequences and how Jackson portrayed Donnie this time around.

You can watch the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Butler and Jackson Jr., as well as writer and director Christian Gudegast, and producer Tucker Tooley.

Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

Moviefone: To begin with, Gerard, what would you say to fans of the first movie sitting down in a theater right now to watch the sequel to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?

Gerard Butler: Well, I wouldn’t say anything if they’re about to sit down and have the theatrical experience because I wouldn’t want to mess it up. That’s for real because I think this is delicious, fun, enjoyable, and everything is turned up a notch, and yet it doesn’t get away from the tension and the reality and the danger that is in there. But it has a lot of fun too, right? We kind of went, what could we do now? Let’s see these guys together more and let’s see them on the same side. There are a lot of great places to go. But if you were literally about to sit down, I’d go, “I’m just going to shut up and let you enjoy the experience because there’s a great amount of experience to be enjoyed.”

MF: O’Shea, what would you say to add to that and hype the film up for audiences?

O’Shea Jackson Jr.: I mean, we all know what it’s like to sit down for a sequel of a movie that we loved the first one, and it’s kind of a feeling you have when you’re like, “Man, here it is. Part two is happening.” When you see the title card, it’s like, “Man, I’m really in it.” We had our audience wait quite a long bit, letting them rewatch and get ready again. But what I love about this one, a lot of the times with sequels, there’s a lot of, you’re playing the jokes that you might’ve saw in the first one, but this one is all fresh and new and it shows you the characters that you know, and they still have the traits that you know, but they’re bigger and they’re put onto a bigger and wider display. There is just something about having us team up. When I first heard Christian tell me that the team-up was happening, I was like, “Oh man, the can of worms is open now.” The directions are all over the place. It becomes a much bigger story and a much bigger experience for you guys.

O’Shea Jackson Jr as Donnie Wilson in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

MF: Gerard, the Benihana sequence in ‘Den of Thieves’ is one of the most iconic scenes from the first movie. Is there a scene, set piece or action sequence in the sequel that you are really excited for fans to watch?

Gerard Butler: Oh. God, we have so many good scenes in this movie, but since what I do think as well as the great action and all that, but the centerpiece of this movie is really him and I together. It’s so much fun and everybody I know who’s seen the movie, they all come out going, “Those guys are great together.” I think the scene when we finally meet up, when I’ve kind of found my way into his house and we have a very nice dinner together and a few things are explained and a few things are revealed, that was an awesome scene. It was a great fun scene to play. It turned out great in the movie and it is the start. It’s really, I think where the movie kind of takes off and launches into another stratosphere.

MF: Finally, in the first film, Donnie is really pretending to be someone else through most of the movie. O’Shea, now that Big Nick and the audience know who Donnie really is, what was it like playing the character this time around?

O’Shea Jackson Jr.: It was refreshing. It kind of felt like when you get off a long day at work and you get to get comfortable in your house clothes, because it allowed me to have new things, new challenges for the character. It allowed me, as a performer, to learn more about the character and help him spread his wings a little bit. I’ve said this before, but in ‘Den of Thieves’, that was my third movie ever. So, I had the same kind of feeling of just wanting to keep my head down, do my job, get a positive approval, and then move on. With this one, I’m much more comfortable, I feel much more set into my ways as an actor and I feel like that comes out on the screen.
sLGPmVhVzbY5A4xaKcZem1
What is the plot of ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’?

Immediately following the events of ‘Den of Thieves’, sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler) is tracking down Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), who escaped to Europe and is planning another heist.

Who is in the cast of ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’?
- Gerard Butler as Nicholas “Big Nick” O’Brien
- O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson
- Evin Ahmad as Jovanna
- Jordan Bridges as Lobbin Bob
- Salvatore Esposito as Slavko
- Meadow Williams as Holly
- Michael Bisping as Connor
- Orli Shuka as Dushko
- Nazmiye Oral as Chava
(L to R) O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson and Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres.

Other Gerard Butler Action Movies:
- ‘300‘ (2007)
- ‘RocknRolla‘ (2008)
- ‘Gamer‘ (2009)
- ‘Law Abiding Citizen‘ (2009)
- ‘Olympus Has Fallen‘ (2013)
- ‘London Has Fallen‘ (2016)
- ‘Geostorm‘ (2017)
- ‘Den of Thieves‘ (2018)
- ‘Hunter Killer‘ (2018)
- ‘Angel Has Fallen‘ (2019)
- ‘Greenland‘ (2020)
- ‘Copshop‘ (2021)
- ‘Last Seen Alive‘ (2022)
- ‘Plane‘ (2023)
- ‘Kandahar‘ (2023)
Buy Tickets: ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Den of Thieves’ On Amazon
January 6, 2025
‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ Director and Producer Interview
(L to R) Producer Tucker Tooley and writer and director Christian Gudegast for ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’.

‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’, which is the sequel to 2018’s action classic ‘Den of Thieves’, is once again written and directed by Christian Gudegast and opens in theaters on January 10th.

The movie features Gerard Butler (‘Law Abiding Citizen’) and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (‘Straight Outta Compton’) reprising their roles as Big Nick and Donnie, respectively, but also includes new cast members Evin Ahmed (‘Girls of the Sun’), Michael Bisping (‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’), and Salvatore Esposito (‘Fargo’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with writer and director Christian Gudegast and producer Tucker Tooley to talk about their work on ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’, crafting the idea for the sequel, moving the action to Europe, the action sequences, Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s chemistry together, and how the characters have changed since the first film.

Related Article: Gerard Butler and Mike Colter Talk New Action-Adventure Thriller ‘Plane’

Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

Moviefone: To begin with, Christian, at what point during the making of the first film did you realize that you had something special on your hands and when did you start thinking about ideas for a sequel?

Christian Gudegast: From the very beginning. So, from the research of the first one, Tucker and I worked together from the very beginning, and we saw that we had so much material, almost like enough material for a long form series that we couldn’t possibly put it on the first one. So, we knew that we wanted to go to different parts of the world to examine and dive into different heists because a great heist is just endlessly fascinating. So, we knew that we wanted something to be repeatable around the world.

O’Shea Jackson Jr as Donnie Wilson in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

MF: Tucker, from a production standpoint, can you talk about taking the story out of Los Angeles, placing it in Europe and what that adds to the tone of the movie?

Tucker Tooley: Well, look, the first intention was, let’s open it up. The first one was very focused in the Federal Reserve and in and around Los Angeles. We wanted it to be more of an international experience. So, we scouted several different locations. We were all set to shoot in one place, and then the tax credit fell through, so we had to move to another place. But where we ended up in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands was phenomenal. It was easy to double different places in Europe on the island of Tenerife, and we also shot in the South of France. But that island is incredibly unique because you have multiple different feels and vibes. One side of the island is dry, the other side is tropical. You have the place that literally looks like Nice. So, it was a perfect spot for us, and they have a great tax credit. So that was important.

Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

MF: Christian, the Benihana sequence in ‘Den of Thieves’ is one of the most iconic scenes from the first movie. Is there a scene, set piece or action sequence in the sequel that you are really excited for fans to watch?

CG: Aside from the action, I would say in the middle of the film, the nightclub and shawarma sequence, that’s that version thereof. All that’s just based on personal experience and thinking as you’re living your life, “I feel like I’m living in a movie right now. This should be a scene in movie one day” and then it is. So yeah, it’s really that sequence, which is that version thereof in ‘Den 2’.

(L to R) O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson and Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres.

MF: Tucker, can you talk about the chemistry that Gerard and O’Shea have on screen together playing these characters and what they bring to these roles?

TT: We think they have incredible chemistry in the movie. In the first movie, they were separate the whole time. We separated the bad guys and the good guys. So, we saw some of that off camera in the first one. Certainly, in the scenes where they were opposite each other. There was a vibe there. When Big Nick is beating up Donnie in that room, there was a lot of tension there. So, when we started designing this one, it became apparent quickly when we were on set, certainly, but even in the writing of it with Christian writing it, that this was going to be much more of a buddy movie, and both just rose to the occasion. Big Nick is perfect for that role. No one can do that role better. That was a huge thing for us in the first movie. Then Donnie gets to evolve into a tough guy. In the first one, he’s sort of a kid. But in this one, he has evolved.

O’Shea Jackson Jr as Donnie Wilson in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres for Lionsgate.

MF: Finally, Christian, in the first film, Donnie is really pretending to be someone else through most of the movie. Now that Big Nick and the audience know who Donnie really is, what was it like writing for that character this time around?

CG: Well, it was everything for O’Shea too, he really wanted to lean into “who I really am” and not have to play this, “I’m a bulls**t artist”. You know what I mean? He becomes, as Tucker said a grown man. So, it’s a completely different dynamic and one that then, it’s going to be tougher for Nick to bounce off that. He doesn’t get pushed around anymore. So now you have more natural rivalries. But at the same time, I think they learn to love each other. They’re like, “I like this dude.” It becomes a bromance. It’s like when you travel around the world and you go somewhere strange and different, and suddenly you recognize someone from home, even though he’s not your boy. It’s a weird Kumbaya that develops. So, we had a lot of fun with that.
sLGPmVhVzbY5A4xaKcZem1
What is the plot of ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’?

Immediately following the events of ‘Den of Thieves’, sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien (Gerard Butler) is tracking down Donnie Wilson (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), who escaped to Europe and is planning another heist.

Who is in the cast of ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’?
- Gerard Butler as Nicholas “Big Nick” O’Brien
- O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson
- Evin Ahmad as Jovanna
- Jordan Bridges as Lobbin Bob
- Salvatore Esposito as Slavko
- Meadow Williams as Holly
- Michael Bisping as Connor
- Orli Shuka as Dushko
- Nazmiye Oral as Chava
(L to R) Gerard Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson in ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’. Photo Credit: Rico Torres.

Other Gerard Butler Action Movies:
- ‘300‘ (2007)
- ‘RocknRolla‘ (2008)
- ‘Gamer‘ (2009)
- ‘Law Abiding Citizen‘ (2009)
- ‘Olympus Has Fallen‘ (2013)
- ‘London Has Fallen‘ (2016)
- ‘Geostorm‘ (2017)
- ‘Den of Thieves‘ (2018)
- ‘Hunter Killer‘ (2018)
- ‘Angel Has Fallen‘ (2019)
- ‘Greenland‘ (2020)
- ‘Copshop‘ (2021)
- ‘Last Seen Alive‘ (2022)
- ‘Plane‘ (2023)
- ‘Kandahar‘ (2023)
Buy Tickets: ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ Movie Showtimes

Buy ‘Den of Thieves’ On Amazon
JqJA1Z3N
January 3, 2025