Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. welcome the improbable Den of Thieves Cinematic Universe | Canada Voices

These are the glory days for fans of cinema du Gerard Butler – that particular subgenre of pulpy action flick in which the Scottish actor gets down and dirty. Not only does this year promise a new instalment in Butler’s “Has Fallen” series (where the actor plays Secret Service Agent Mike Bannon) as well as a follow-up to Greenland (which focused on Butler’s tough family man as he navigated an apocalyptic comet strike), but this weekend marks the release of the star’s somewhat improbable sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera.

A seven-years-in-the-making sequel to filmmaker Christian Gudegast’s cult thriller – which plays like Heat for a generation raised on direct-to-video action flicks (this is a compliment) – Pantera finds Butler’s highly unethical L.A. cop Big Nick traipsing around France, on the trail of the master thief Donnie (Straight Outta Compton’s O’Shea Jackson Jr.) who escaped his clutches in the first film. Except this time, Big Nick switches sides, partnering up with Donnie to rob a diamond district along the Côte d’Azur. Think of Pantera as Fast Five crossed with Michael Mann’s summer vacation, and you’re halfway to discovering the sequel’s uniquely elevated B-movie thrills.

Ahead of the film’s release this Friday, Butler and Jackson spoke with The Globe to discuss building the DOTCU (which stands for, of course, the Den of Thieves Cinematic Universe).

When the first Den of Thieves came out, it did well, but not to the degree that a sequel seemed to be a given. Since its theatrical release, it’s gained so much momentum, and built a devoted following. At what point did each of you get the sense this could be a franchise?

O’Shea Jackson Jr.: Gerard has been a part of it for much longer than myself. But I knew that it was something special when on the first movie, everybody on my team died beside me. We’re onto something here, you know? It was something I had never seen before, where you get to see a Black man be revealed the mastermind at the end of the movie. And he lives! But it was really when I started to get asked in public more about Den of Thieves than what was my biggest film at that point, Straight Outta Compton, playing my father [Ice Cube]. People were like, “Hold on, I need to see what’s going on with Donnie, man.” As much as Compton has a piece of my heart because of what it means to my family, I strongly feel that Den of Thieves 2 is the best movie I’ve done.

Gerard Butler: I’d been involved with the first movie for over four years. It was a hard one to get made: first-time director, wasn’t cheap. But I always believed in the pedigree of the writing and that it had fascinating characters and a whole world represented. And when we finally got the movie into something quantifiable, I didn’t feel it was particularly sold in the right way. It was more elevated and clever than perhaps it was given credit for. It wasn’t for everybody, but the people who liked it, loved it. I think it found its true place a year or so after it opened, when it became No. 1 on Netflix. After that, we started hearing from the fan base.

What was the pressure like to recreate that sensation of discovery, then, all these years later?

Butler: It was about getting that scope for the second one, and taking it in a way where we can follow what was really delicious and memorable about the first one, but make it new and fresh. That’s part of the reason that it took so bloody long. The twists and the originality of the first one – how do you do that again? Do you just take a quick payday and make a second one? We never wanted to do that. This movie takes the time and has the courage to spend time with the characters. You feel by the end that you have taken an epic, emotional journey with these characters.

You mention that elevated aspect to it, which is exactly what stood out about the first movie. Its epic length, more than 2½ hours, but there’s also an interesting style that Christian was playing with, which he doubles down on in Pantera. The rusted shipyards, the old streets, the beauty of grit and decay. How much did you talk with Christian Gudegast about achieving that style?

Butler: It would be very hard to make another Den of Thieves in the same place, but it was about could we create something that had its own beating heart? Take it all to Europe, almost like a holiday. There’s something mysterious and tantalizing and so cinematic about these streets and coastlines.

Of course the first film pits you two against one another, but now we’re into a buddy kind of situation. How did you both work on that dynamic to depart from the original Donnie/Big Nick antagonism?

Jackson: You can’t fake chemistry. If you don’t have it, you’re not going to be able to improv at the drop of the hat. It’s also our trick to lull the audience to sleep a little bit. We don’t know if Donnie truly trusts Big Nick, or if Big Nick’s revenge aspect of it all is going away. That same grey area we had in the first film is there. That’s the basis of suspense right there.

Butler: Because Big Nick in the first movie is so commanding and powerful, it felt like here I had to, as an actor, come off my high horse and make him more of a regular guy. To not have the posturing, the way he has to control every conversation. It allowed us to give these characters much more rich texture, we could be funnier, more emotional.

Did you talk about influences with Christian, what he was going for here? I feel there’s almost a syllabus to go with Pantera, including screenings of Ronin, Sexy Beast …

Jackson: For my character, it was about studying people who were masters at their craft. How they carried themselves. I studied a lot of fighters, because it was the way to get into Donnie’s complex way of thinking – you have to be measured, focused, and if you messed up, you’re getting knocked out. So it was watching Roy Jones Jr., Floyd Mayweather.

Butler: What I remember was Ronin, Gamorrah, movies that had a European tone, very realistic, gritty. Something that felt very visceral. But now I’m thinking that I should’ve been watching boxing and UFC fights.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera opens in theatres Jan. 10.