Lionsgate is returning to the thieve’s den. The studio is moving forward with a third Den of Thieves movie, with the decision coming swiftly after the release of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, which has grossed $32 million domestically and hit PVOD Tuesday.
Gerard Butler is expected to return to star and produce via his G-Base banner, which he runs with Alan Siegel. Tucker Tooley Entertainment will produce the next installment in the action-heist franchise as well, after financing and producing the first film and bringing it to Lionsgate and STX. Tucker Tooley will also produce.
The first Den of Thieves, released in 2018, was a modest hit, earning $80 million on a $30 million budget, but it grew in popularity on the home entertainment market. Still, the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic, Russian’s invasion of Ukraine and a physical issue from Butler led to seven-year gap between the first and second installments.
Writer-director Christian Gudegast recently told The Hollywood Reporter he did not expect such a long time between the second and third films, as he had already done the leg work to get a third one going.
“It’s already pitched. It’s already done. We’re ready to go,” he said shortly before the Jan. 10 release of the film.
In addition to Butler, O’Shea Jackson is expected to star in the third movie, after his thief character teamed with Butler’s cop for Pantera. The film featured a twist set up a threequel.
Coming up, Butler will be seen in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake, reprising his role as Stoick, and also has a new Greenland installment in the works.
As for Tucker Tooley Productions, the company founded by Tooley and Greg Renker, previously teamed with Lionsgate on Arthur the King, and is known for Oscar-nominated The United Stated vs Billie Holiday. Coming up, it has the doc Finding Satoshi, about the search for the secret inventor of Bitcoin.