In between casually dismissing Ryan Reynolds movies and admitting that his 2009 action film Gamer “could have been executed slightly differently,” Gerard Butler gave UNILAD an update about Den of Thieves 2. Released in 2018, the first film has gained somewhat of a cult following in the years since.
Describing the sequel as a “more glamorous journey than the last one,” Butler went on to reveal a surprising amount of information about Den of Thieves 2, ranging from the premise and the shooting locations. Here’s what he said:
"We’re supposed to shoot early next year. We’re Europe-bound, we’re still on the hunt for Donnie who’s now on the diamond district in Marseilles. I go over to hunt him down, but with different intentions than you might imagine. So we’re gonna be in Marseilles, the Alps and London – it’s definitely a more glamorous journey than the last one, and probably a more fun, sexy journey."
That last bit is particularly telling. Nobody who watched the testosterone-fueled original film would describe it as “sexy.” Nor would they have ever expected the film’s rugged brutality to lend itself to a more globe-trotting adventure in the future.
Set in a Heat-inspired Los Angeles filled with cops and career criminals, Den of Thieves featured Butler as ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien, an LA County Sheriff's Department Detective who takes on the ex-Marine Ray Merrimen and his gang of thieves as they plan a heist in the Federal Reserve. Directed by Christian Gudegast, the film also starred Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae and Max Holloway. Den of Thieves 2 was green-lit just a few weeks after the first one’s debut, with Gudegast returning.
Based on what Butler said, Jackson will have a more prominent role to play in the sequel, after his character, Donnie — spoiler alert — was revealed to be the true mastermind behind the heist in the first film.
Den of Thieves was a moderate success, having made $80 million worldwide against a reported budget of $30 million. Another film with a very similar premise and brawny tone — director Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man — was released earlier this year and has barrelled its way to over $100 million worldwide.
There’s certainly a market for these movies, and all evidence suggests that Butler is in the mood to corner it. Thankfully, the actor has put his romantic-comedy past behind him, and now deals almost exclusively in glorified B-movie fare such as the Fallen series, Geostorm and Greenland. He can currently be seen in director Joe Carnahan’s second film of the year, Copshop, in which he plays a hitman. Stay tuned to Collider for more Den of Thieves 2 news.