Will there be a Den of Thieves 3? Speculations explored 

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Den of Thieves (2018) and Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (2025). Reader discretion is advised.

In 2018, Den of Thieves brought Gerard Butler to the screens to offer what he does best. This thrilling actioner showed him as a righteous LA detective, Nick, who hopes to catch a gang of thieves. He suspects MARSOC Marine veteran Ray to be the mastermind behind a heist - only to realize the truth much later. Donnie, who presents himself as a mere pawn in Ray's plan, eventually shows his true colors. In the first film's twist ending, Nick realizes Donnie has puppeteered all of Ray's heists.

The latest sequel shows Nick traveling to Europe to catch Donnie, who plans another heist. Instead, he bonds with this criminal and switches sides to be a part of Donnie's gang of Panthers. In a series of twists, Nick turns Donnie to the Pantera task force only to reunite with him for another endeavor for the Sicilian mafia. They work on Donnie's World Diamond Centre heist only to be betrayed at the film's end.

While Nick and Donnie part ways, once again, they have many things they would want to sort out. It begs the audience to ask whether there will be a Den of Thieves 3.

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Will there be a Den of Thieves 3? Gerald Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr.'s reactions explored

The first Den of Thieves film came out in 2018, and it took almost seven years for the sequel to see the light of the day. While the fans might have been interested in the Nick-vs-Donnie duel, seven years was still a long time. The first film's ending left the audience looking forward to Nick crossing paths with Donnie to settle the scores. So, the interest in a sequel was valid.

Considering the appeal of this movie series, Gerald Butler reportedly wants the third film to happen. In a recent interview, he discussed his interest in the next project in this thrilling series. Unlike before, he doesn't want to get it delayed. He hopes for it to happen sooner than later and understands why the audience would like the same. While that is true, he also understands the power his words hold in the future of such plans.

Here's a transcript of the discussion during a recent interview between Butler and Jackson Jr about Den of Thieves 3:

Butler: It’s not going to take that long.

Jackson Jr.: Really?

Butler: I will not wait any more, and I won't do that to other people anymore. I'm sorry.

Jackson Jr.: Okay.

Butler: It's not all my fault, but a lot of it is.

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Has Den of Thieves 3 been greenlit? Here's all we know about this potential project

Gerald Butler's hope for a third part isn't enough for the film to go on floors. It also needs the studio to back the project and declare their interest in it. As of now, Lionsgate Films, who were behind both the Den of Thieves films haven't shared anything about the third part. So, the third part has not been officially greenlit yet. However, during a recent interview, the sequel's writer-director, Christian Gudegast, revealed his plans for the next three projects. Here's what he said:

“So again, while researching heists, the research is agnostic to where it takes place in the world. There are three particular ones that are unreal. One is in Brazil, one is in Africa, and one is in Southeast Asia. The thing about those worlds is that they have a whole different criminal world down there, underground, and characters and everything. It will always be about taking these guys into those worlds."

Gudegast shared his desire to bring Den 3, Den 4, and Den 5 into a geopolitical territory. While speaking about his ideas for Den 3, he said:

“Den 3 is all ready to go. It’s all outlined. I do notes, files, outlines, and when it’s time to do the script, it’s just basically changing the format, really. So it’s all outlined for the next two."

Still, Gudegast understands the financial and logistical limitations. So, in the same vein, he shared his thoughts about the future of this franchise:

“I would just say how hard it is to make movies these days. Particularly to get new content, new IP that’s not like a ‘70s TV show or a Marvel comic or whatever. To do something original and to be able to build a franchise is next to impossible."

In the context of pure speculation, let's entertain the thought of a new project. The story of the third project can explore further the lives of Nick and Donnie on the other sides of the law while trying to make sense of the friendly bond they developed during the heist missions. Nick may go for a promotion or break bad and join hands with Donnie for another criminal adventure. In that case, Joanna (Evin Ahmad), who helped them with their mission, might come into the picture as well. For now, we can only wait and hope for the third chapter to happen.