Den of Thieves 2: Pantera became yet another big January hit for Gerard Butler when the 2025 movie burst onto the scene and stole the big prize at the top of the box office. Christian Gudegast’s latest crime thriller, which also saw the return of O’Shea Jackson Jr., not only did a great job of picking up the action from where its 2018 predecessor left off, but also teased what could be the next stage in the franchise’s cat-and-mouse story with increasingly high stakes. And now, there are probably a lot of folks out there wondering what’s going on with Den of Thieves 3.
If you fall into that camp, then you’ve come to the right place, because we’re about to break down everything that’s been said about the threequel (please be called Den of Thi3ves) from the franchise’s stars, director, and producers. And while a lot of the details about the return of “Big Nick” haven’t been ironed out, there’s a lot to keep fans of this great heist movie series happy.
Den Of Thieves 3 Was Announced In January 2025
Not even three weeks after Den of Thieves 2: Pantera opened in theaters, IndieWire reported that Lionsgate was officially developing a third movie in the franchise and that Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. were expected to reprise their roles as “Big Nick” O’Brien and Donnie Wilson, respectively.
No definitive details were provided at the time of the announcement, but expect that to change in the coming weeks and months as pre-production continues and eventually leads to the pair getting back together on screen for a third time.
Director Christian Gudegast Has Said Shooting Will Begin In 2026
It didn’t take long for the news to start rolling in after Den of Thieves 3 was announced. In February 2025, to promote the digital release of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, director Christian Gudegast sat down with CinemaBlend for an interview that touched upon everything from how the franchise got here to where it’s going. When asked about a possible timeline for the highly anticipated threequel, Gudegast had this to say:
Between now and next year, we’ll get the script all done. And then I’m going to be doing some other stuff, and so is [Gerard Butler] and [O’Shea Jackson Jr.], and then we, in terms of shooting, will be in 2026.
This came a few weeks after producer Tucker Tooley told CinemaBlend that not only was one movie in the works, but a fourth Den of Thieves film was also being developed. On top of all of that, Tooley further teased not just one more sequel, but two more in the years to come. Great news for fans of the franchise and Gerard Butler movies in general, especially those who love watching “Big Nick” take down cigarettes.
Gerard Butler And O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Characters Dynamic Will ‘Evolve Quite A Bit’
SPOILER WARNING: The following section contains major spoilers for the Den of Thieves 2: Panteara ending. If you’ve yet to watch the movie, please exercise caution or skip to the next section.
During the same interview with CinemaBlend, where he provided a rundown on the production of Den of Thieves 3, director Christian Gudegast also provided some insight into where Big Nick and Donnie’s shared dynamic will be going. When asked if there will be an evolution in the future, Gudegast said:
It is going to evolve quite a bit. I don't wanna talk about too much, but they're now going to go on a completely different [path], there's going to be a little bit of a role reversal in the sense that Donnie's probably going to become a little bit tired, because they're really going to be on the run. Now we're gonna go into a whole different world of heists, not money, not cash, not diamonds, a whole different world. It becomes increasingly more sort of geopolitical and the players involved go up to a higher level, more danger, etc. Donnie’s going to grow a little bit weary of it all.
With Donnie broken out of jail and working with the mafia, and Nick pretty much on the run after helping pull off a big diamond heist and then assisting in the jailbreak, it’s going to be interesting where their stories go, both separately and together.
Christian Gudegast Has Said Den Of Thieves 3 Will Be 'Geopolitical And Involve Art'
The first movie was very much a straightforward heist film in the vein of Heat, and the second film took on a more buddy-action feel with the incredible dynamic shared by Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s characters. Going off what Gudegast has said about his plans for Thieves 3, it sounds like he’s adding the world of geopolitics and art to the franchise. When speaking with Daily Dose of Buffa in January 2025, he teased the threequel by saying:
It’s going to be geopolitical and involve art. The precious resources of the world. This one is going to be fucking crazy. New criminal underworld, more heavy, Ukrainians involved.
There will be a new adventure and new location, but it sounds like the movie will be bringing back some familiar faces from the first film. In the same interview, the director said he’s bringing back more guys from the 2018 heist film, including The Regulators, Nick’s former team from the LASD.
Gerard Butler Has Teased That Den Of Thieves 3 Could Take Place In Africa
The franchise seems to be taking a similar approach to expanding the action, story, and locations to the one we’ve seen in the Fast and Furious franchise over the years, and the planned third movie could take the series to its most exotic location yet. When speaking with The Direct about its future in January 2025, Gerard Butler teased that the action flick could involve Africa:
So I don't know. It sounds like it's a great adventure, and I'm scared to say anything if we don't go with this version. But it could involve Africa, and it's some really exciting stuff over there. I don't know enough about it to know what I could do with Nick.
These comments seem to go hand-in-hand with what Gudegast has said about the movie having a more geopolitical focus compared to the first two films. It will be interesting to see if the whole diamond angle from Pantera plays into the new location and story as well.
Gerard Butler And O'Shea Jackson Jr. Have Said They'd Love To Work With Idris Elba In The Third Movie
The Den of Thieves franchise has seen actors like Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Pablo Schreiber, Salvatore Esposito, and multiple others so far. But stars Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. have their sights set on one of the biggest names on the planet when it comes to a wishlist for the third film.
During their own conversation with CinemaBlend in January 2025, the actors both commented on their desire to work with someone who appeared on The Wire cast and also has been in the mix with James Bond rumors over the years:
JACKSON: Let me tell you, man, as long as O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Gerard Butler are in it, I'm fine. (laughs) But yeah, anybody who wants to play ball. Obviously, it's all on the public, who pretty much tells the studio that we need a third one. We need a trilogy going. There's a ton of action stars out there. I'm gonna shout out Idris Elba, just to shout him out. Why not? BUTLER: I already worked with Idris. You can't go wrong with Idris Elba in any way. In life. In a movie. He's an all round amazing individual. A phenomenal actor.
Bringing in Elba for the third installment – either as a good guy, a bad guy, or someone matching the energy and moral ambiguity of Big Nick – would be a wild addition to the franchise and would honestly take it to new heights.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens with Den of Thieves 3, but it sounds like it’s only a matter of time based on what those involved with the project have said.
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