When Gerard Butler‘s name is attached to a movie, there’s a good chance of knowing what’s in store. Arguably, the king of the mid budget action thriller (although Liam Neeson might disagree), the actor unsurprisingly has a string of projects lined up that check all boxes you’d imagine.
He stars with Frank Grillo in next week’s Copshop, signed on last year to play Mike Banning for a fourth time in Night Has Fallen, will return in sequel Greenland: Migration, and is currently shooting Jean-François Richet’s The Plane, all of which occupy identical genre territory.
In February 2018, it was confirmed a follow up to Den of Thieves was in the works, the crime caper that drew mixed reviews and earned a shade over $80 million at the box office (on a $30 million budget). Little is known about the film since, but Butler has confirmed (in an interview with UniLad) that production is set to kick off early next year.
“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.”
The opener saw Butler as the leader of an elite law enforcement unit tasked with stopping a gang of criminals from pulling off an impossible heist. Star’s Nick O’Brien found himself in a very different position by the time the credits rolled. It sets up the next Den of Thieves the story in a brand new direction. The movie enjoyed sustained success on Netflix after adding to the library in 2020; clearly, clearly an audience eager to see more.
