Den of Thieves 2: Panterais the long-awaited follow-up to writer/director Christian Gudegast’s 2018 crime thrillerDen of Thieves.The sequel once again stars Gerard Butler (Olympus Has Fallen, The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland) as Sherriff “Big Nick” O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Cocaine Bear, Obi-Wan Kenobi) as the ambitious thief Donnie Wilson and is set after the events of the first film, which saw Wilson pull a huge heist out from under O’Brien’s nose. While the first film was set in Los Angeles,Den of Thieves 2: Panterapromises to tell an international story and bring its primary characters to Europe, and its trailer even teases something of a villainous turn for Butler’s character.
Screen Rantis happy to offer a first look at the poster forDen of Thieves 2: Pantera. The poster highlights key members of theDen of Thieves 2: Panteracastin Butler and Jackson, even teasing their collaboration in the sequel, and employs a bold color scheme that evokes the dual-sided nature of its story. Take a look at the poster, below, and get ready to watchDen of Thieves 2: Panterawhen it hits theaters on January 10.
How The Den Of Thieves Franchise Stands Apart From Other Heist Thrillers
Heist movies based on true storiesare not unheard of, but bothDen of ThievesandDen of Thieves 2: Panterahave pulled from real-life events to create a more engaging and grounded story. What feels more unique is that the films have borrowed elements from famous gangs and heists but reworked them into the story that writer/director Christian Gudegast wanted to tell.Den of Thieveswas based on an uncovered, but foiled, plot to rob the Federal Reserve, andDen of Thieves 2: Panteradraws lots of inspiration from the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist. Both movies pick up from there, however, changing the year and even the outcome of their inspirations. This storytelling style allowed Gudegast to borrow the best elements of each heist without sacrificing story and character demands.
Den of Thievesalso stands apart thanks to its focus on its characters. The film is structured in a way that lets audiences spend plenty of time with characters on both sides of the law, which stands apart from other films that lean into humor and flash to make a heist pop off the screen. During aninterview withScreen Rantfor the first film, Gudegast even stressed that that work went into building out the character relationships, and it’s likely a similar approach was taken forDen of Thieves 2: Pantera.
The firstDen of Thieveswas able to use the goodwill it built up toward its characters to full effect thanks to a last-act twist that firmly set it apart from many other films in the genre. With the reveal at the end ofDen of Thieves(spoilers) that Donnie had orchestrated the whole heist, the movie stepped out of the shadow of other heist films and forged its own way forward. WithGerard Butler going criminal inDen of Thieves 2: Pantera, it’s clear that the franchise intends to keep finding surprising and unique ways to utilize its characters.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Cast
Sheriff “Big Nick” O’Brien tracks Donnie Wilson to Europe after his daring escape. As Donnie becomes deeply involved with diamond thieves and the Panther mafia, the stakes rise with a plan to rob the world’s largest diamond exchange.
