STX, which released the first entry in the Gerard Butler/O’Shea Jackson Jr. action franchise, won’t be around for the second round, as Sierra/Affinity takes on international sales.
Entertainment One has come on board to finance Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, the sequel to the action heist drama starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
The 2018 original, released by STX in the U.S., grossed more than $80 million worldwide. STX was originally on board for the sequel, but has backed out. Sierra/Affinity will now handle international sales and is shopping the project to buyers in Cannes.
The Den of Thieves sequel will re-team Butler and Jackson Jr. with director Christian Gudegast. Butler will reprise his role as Big Nick Flanagan, the head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, on the hunt for a group of sophisticated bank robbers. The sequel picks up with Big Nick tracking down the bad guys on the streets of Europe and getting closer to capturing Donnie (Jackson). Donnie, meanwhile, has become caught up in the dangerous world of diamond thieves and the Panther mafia, as a heist on the world’s largest diamond exchange is being planned. Meadow Williams will also reprise her role as Holly in the film.
eOne and Tucker Tooley Entertainment will finance the movie, which is set to begin production later this year. Tucker Tooley, Mark Canton, Alan Siegel and Butler will produce the sequel, with Williams executive producing. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who co-stared in the first Den of Thieves, is expected to work on the sequel in a production capacity.
“We are incredibly excited to join such a thrilling franchise that has clearly captured audiences all around the world,” said Jonathan Kier, Sierra/Affinity’s president of sales and distribution. “We look forward to partnering with this very talented team of actors, producers and filmmakers.”