'Den of Thieves 2' Director Reveals Plans for Three More Sequels [Exclusive]

When Den of Thieves premiered in 2018, it's fair to say a lot of people would not have seen it expanding into a globe-trotting franchise. Now, with Den of Thieves 2: Pantera now in theaters, writer-director Christian Gudegast has unveiled plans for three additional sequels to turn it into a full-fledged saga. Speaking to Collider's Steve Weintraub after our early screening of the film in Los Angeles, Gudegast outlined how the upcoming films will expand the story globally, introduce new challenges for the central characters, and push the limits for Gerard Butler's Big Nick O'Brien.

For Pantera, Gudegast has taken the action to Europe, focusing on an audacious diamond heist within the region’s underground crime world. However, the director already has ambitious plans to broaden the franchise’s horizons in Den 3, Den 4, and Den 5. Speaking about the direction of the series, he revealed:

“So again, while researching heists, the research is agnostic to where it takes place in the world. There are three particular ones that are unreal. One is in Brazil, one is in Africa, and one is in Southeast Asia. The thing about those worlds is that they have a whole different criminal world down there, underground, and characters and everything. It will always be about taking these guys into those worlds."

Butler’s hard-nosed cop Nick O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s resourceful Donnie will continue to be the main characters around which the series is based. However, Gudegast teased that a new character, introduced in Den 3, will “hunt them down,” which gives us an idea of what to expect going forward from the series. “It’s going to become a bit more geopolitical,” he added. When asked which location he'd like to explore for Den 3, Gudegast chose Africa.

While Gudegast is very excited about building the Den of Thieves universe, he acknowledged that sustaining a franchise in today's world is exceedingly difficult. “I would just say how hard it is to make movies these days. Particularly to get new content, new IP that’s not like a ‘70s TV show or a Marvel comic or whatever. To do something original and to be able to build a franchise is next to impossible," he explained.

'Den of Thieves 3' Should Begin Filming in The Next Two Years

The production of Pantera faced its own unique challenges, from delays caused by the pandemic to logistical issues around filming locations, and injuries to the cast. Still, now, Gudegast is all good to go for the next installment:

“Den 3 is all ready to go. It’s all outlined. I do notes, files, outlines, and when it’s time to do the script, it’s just basically changing the format, really. So it’s all outlined for the next two."

When Weintraub asked if he plans to make the next film within two years, Gudegast confirmed, "Yeah, that's the plan. Yes, absolutely." Gudegast’s plans for the franchise extend well beyond Pantera, and he’s confident the Den of Thieves series has plenty of mileage left. "The next one's already ready to go, and then 4 or 5 are already mapped out simply because of the amount of material to come across and where we want to take these characters," he finished.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is now in theaters. Stay tuned for more from our conversation with Gudegast and grab your tickets below.

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