After topping the box office with its sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, the Den of Thieves series will now continue to a third chapter. Via Variety, we’ve learned that a Den of Thieves 3 movie in the action/crime/heist franchise is currently in the planning stages from Lionsgate Films. Right now, Gerard Butler is expected to return to both star and produce in Den of Thieves 3, and Lionsgate is in talks with franchise creator Christian Gudegast to return to write and direct as well. The plan is for actor O’Shea Jackson Jr. to also return in the proposed third installment.
It’s been quite an adventure to arrive at this Den of Thieves 3 announcement. The first Den of Thieves came out in 2018 and starred Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr, among other notable names. The film was in development for a whopping 14 years before finally filming in 2017. Made on a budget of 30 million dollars, the film made over 80 million worldwide. It became an even bigger hit on streaming. But it took six years to get a sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, greenlit. The second chapter finally hit theaters this January. So it’s no surprise that this time around, Den of Thieves 3 is being fast-tracked. Lionsgate isn’t going to sit on the property for six years this time.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. especially wants to keep working alongside Gerard Butler in this franchise. He recently told Variety “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.” It seems like he might just get his wish. Den of Thieves 3 doesn’t have a production start date yet or anything else, but we expect more news on the third franchise installment soon.
