Lionsgate, Tucker Tooley Entertainment, and Gerard Butler’s G-BASE are moving full speed ahead with a third installment in the Den of Thieves franchise, following the success of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. is expected to return alongside Butler, both reprising their roles from the previous films. Lionsgate is also in talks with franchise writer-director Christian Gudegast to helm the third installment, keeping the creative team intact.
The sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, opened at No. 1 at the domestic box office, raking in over $32 million stateside before launching on PVOD this week. Globally, the franchise has now pulled in over $126.5 million, making a third film inevitable.
Jackson Jr. has been vocal about his enthusiasm for continuing the franchise. Earlier this month, he told Variety, “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… 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.”
Tucker Tooley Entertainment, which brought the first Den of Thieves to Lionsgate from STX, will once again co-produce and jointly finance the third installment. Tooley, whose company has delivered box office hits like The Deliverance (Netflix) and Arthur the King (Lionsgate), has been a key force behind the franchise’s expansion.
G-BASE, the production company co-founded by Butler and Siegel, has produced over 20 feature films, including Law Abiding Citizen, the Has Fallen trilogy, Greenland, and its upcoming sequel Greenland: Migration. The company is also behind the Hulu series Paris Has Fallen, which is gearing up for its second season.
With Den of Thieves 2: Pantera proving the franchise still has firepower at the box office, the team is locking and loading for round three. No word yet on a release date, but given the franchise’s track record, expect another high-octane heist to hit the big screen soon.