Gerard Butler is a versatile actor. One of his primary genres, however, has been in action. After making his on-screen debut in the biographical period drama Mrs. Brown, Butler was in his first action movie in a supporting role in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. From there, he went on to play supporting roles in the 1998 genre films The Tale of the Mummy and Fast Food. He then broke out as a genre film lead in the vampiric action horror film Dracula 2000, wherein he played the titular vampire.

Butler also led the Zack Snyder-directed historical action movie 300, playing King Leonidas in the movie. This remains one of the actor’s biggest roles, but his career has also included a diversity of parts from genres outside his action roots. Butler charmed fans as the voice of Stoick in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise and as romantic leads in rom-coms such as The Ugly Truth and P.S. I Love You. Even with these departures, Butler has kept making action films, one of which acted as the start to a yet-unrealized franchise.

The Den Of Thieves 2 Director Explains Why The Movie Has Taken So Long

Den Of Thieves Came Out In 2018

Gerard Butler looking shocked as Big Nick in Den of Thieves 2 PanteraGerard Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr in Den of Thieves 2 PanteraEvin Ahmad looking skeptical in Den of Thieves 2 PanteraGerard Butler leaning back in a chair as Big Nick in Den of Thieves 2 Pantera
O'Shea Jackson Jr standing over a table and staring in Den of Thieves 2 Pantera

The Den of Thieves 2: Pantera director explains why the sequel has taken so long to make. Christian Gudegast directed the 2018 action heist film, which starred Butler as detective “Big Nick” O’Brien, an LA County detective working to take down California’s most successful bank robbery crew as the criminals plan a heist on the Federal Reserve Bank. The film featured a leading cast including Pablo Schreiber, O’Shea Jackson Jr., 50 Cent, Meadow Williams, and Brian Van Holt. The sequel film Den of Thieves 2 is set for release on January 10 and will follow a diamond heist.

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Gudegast reveals why it took so long to make Den of Thieves 2. According to the director, it was “the state of the world” that prevented the Butler sequel from moving forward. These barriers included COVID-19, which struck right before the sequel was going to film originally. As the industry recovered from pandemic shutdowns and restrictions, Den of Thieves 2 was struck down again by an actor injury and the war in Ukraine, which ruined their filming plan. Check out the full quote from Gudegast below:

Gudegast: The state of the world. The first hit was Covid. We were just about to do it, then Covid hit, and that was that. Then we had an actor injury to their knee, one of our leads, so that took another nine months or whatever. And we were going to make it in Belgrade and Croatia, then the war hit with Ukraine and all the Ukrainians fled to Belgrade and Croatia and there were no Airbnbs or hotels to house the crew. Then, it was going to be France, and then the exchange rate got messed up for us and we had to go to a different tax credit state. We had many, many… just the realities of production these days.

Our Take On The Den Of Thieves Delays

Delays Have Been Common In Recent Years

Close-up of Gerard Butler as Big Nick in Den of Thieves 2 Pantera

If these challenges were not hard enough, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike also took place in 2023, which could have caused an additional barrier to their production. These kinds of delays have affected countless other films, including Wicked, which was finally released this year. As Den of Thieves 2: Pantera hits theaters next month, it will be interesting to see whether the action film can still hold viewers’ attention years later.