Christian Gudegast’s action crime sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera opened up the franchise possibilities for Den of Thieves, but if it’s going to be successful, it needs to adopt one major element of the Fast and Furious franchise. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera raises the stakes from the first movie, with another heist executed by O’Shea Jackson, Jr.’s master strategist Donnie Wilson, this time with the help of Gerard Butler’s “Big Nick” O’Brien. The two are joined by a group of international thieves known as the Panthers to pull off a reality-inspired heist at the World Diamond Center.

The ending of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera puts Donnie and Nick on separate paths once again, but the door is left wide open for future encounters. However, they remain the only two characters who seem to have any semblance of a future in the franchise, as all the members of the Panthers are either behind bars or ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. If the Den of Thieves franchise is going to have any chance of sustained success, it can’t rely solely on cinematic heists. The franchise needs to take a page out of the Fast and Furious playbook to maintain audience interest.

Den Of Thieves 2 Struggles To Introduce Its New Crew Around Donnie & Nick

The Panthers Didn’t Feature Any Memorable Characters

One of the biggest issues surrounding Den of Thieves’ franchise future is that, while it set up both Donnie and Nick with paths forward, it failed to introduce anyone else of note. The Panthers were interesting as a concept, as a gang of international thieves with specialties in high-stakes robbery, but none of the members of the group really stood out. Evin Ahmad’s Jovanna, or “Cleopatra”, had the most potential, but her character remained relatively undeveloped outside of potentially being a romantic interest for Nick (a notion that was essentially killed when Nick’s plan came to fruition).

The way the plot unfolded, there was simply not much focus on the individual Panthers. Their characters were little more than their roles in the heist, mere pieces that moved around Donnie and Nick. As interesting as their introductions could have been, they were reduced to ancillary elements of the central relationship of the movie, which was the bonding of Donnie and Nick.

Fast & Furious Benefited From Committing To A Core Ensemble Cast

The Various Personalities Allowed For Fresh, Entertaining Interactions

For a model on how to grow the universe of Den of Thieves, Gudegast, Butler, and Jackson (who were all producers on the film) needn’t look far, as the Fast and Furious franchise has been doing it well for ten movies now. Each subsequent entry of the franchise has introduced new players into the world of fast cars and increasingly high stakes. Fast Five acted as a major turning point for the franchise, as that’s where it truly became an ensemble franchise, with each member of Dom Toretto’s family and the primary villains getting real screen time and development.

Now, ten movies in with an eleventh on the way, the franchise is not only sprawling in its scope and scale, but it has stayed relatively fresh throughout. As characters have pᴀssed into and out of the overarching narrative, each movie has featured unique interactions between established and newcomers, and fan favorites have naturally developed. Den of Thieves would be wise to grow the main cast around Donnie and Nick, as they can certainly elevate the interest of the major heists at each movie’s center.

Den Of Thieves 2 Leaves The Franchise In A Bad Spot To Bring More Characters Back

Both Nick And Donnie’s Former Crews Are ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, Captive, Or Out Of The Picture

Unfortunately, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera puts the franchise in a tough spot as far as returning characters are concerned. Thanks to Nick’s betrayal after the World Diamond Center was executed, all members of the Panthers are behind bars except Donnie. Donnie was arrested and imprisoned himself, but wound up in the hands of the Mafia after they broke him out of a prison transport to come work for them. Nick’s crew was nowhere to be found in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, as he went rogue in chasing Donnie to Europe.

However, Den of Thieves 3 does offer the possibility for more elaboration on existing franchise characters. It’s possible that Nick recruits his old crew, the elite unit of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department known as “The Regulators”, as he continues to pursue Donnie across the world. Donnie could also theoretically break the Panthers out of jail as part of whatever heist ends up at the center of Den of Thieves 3. No matter how it happens, the next movie needs to do a better job than Den of Thieves 2: Pantera when it comes to establishing an ensemble cast.