O’Shea Jackson Jr. wants ‘Den of Thieves’ to be the next ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise

O’Shea Jackson Jr. is still coming to terms with the fact that Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was a box-office hit. So naturally he’s ready for a third installment.

“This is my first No. 1 since Straight Outta Compton,” Jackson Jr. told Yahoo Entertainment. (The actor played his dad, Ice Cube, in the 2015 biopic.) “It was an emotional moment because it’s been a 10-year career for me, so to have a No. 1 again was amazing.”

Jackson stars opposite Gerard Butler in the heist films. The 33-year-old actor said he’s forever grateful to Butler and director Christian Gudegast for believing in him when he was cast in Den of Thieves in 2018.

“After I did Straight Outta Compton, I didn’t get work for a year. Critics [said], ‘Of course he could play his dad.’ So for a year I didn’t get work and it bothered me,” he said. “But Christian and Gerard, they gave me a shot. Those dudes, they are my guys. I take those types of things to heart and I’m grateful for them. Whenever they need me, let’s do it.”

Less than three weeks after the sequel hit theaters, Den of Thieves 3 was announced.

We have an idea of what’s to come in the next installment, Jackson said.

“Christian is thinking of expensive stuff,” he laughed, but promised fans that the next movie won’t take seven years to make. “We’re still in the process of figuring everything out. We’ve been having phone conversations with Christian to make it right and a lot quicker than we made the second one so everybody can relax!”

One of Jackson’s favorite parts of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was the dynamic shift between his character and Butler’s, and how the two got to lean into the “buddy action” vibe.

“We knew that we had to get that chemistry together,” he said. While that didn’t involve a wild night clubbing like in the second film, he said he and Butler had a fun two days while filming in the Canary Islands.

Jackson said he picked Butler’s brain about the entertainment industry and got “the same advice that my dad gave me.”

“[He said] just to really take care of me,” he explained. “It’s very similar to what my dad tells me — never do a movie that you wouldn’t go see yourself and always be prepared to say no. … [Gerard pays] such attention to audience details.”

Jackson said he put a lot of pressure on himself after Straight Outta Compton.

“I was so scared shooting Straight Outta Compton because I had thought my life was going to go in a different direction. I was [studying] screenwriting at USC. I had these plans that I set out to do… I didn’t practice [acting] enough in my mind to go this route,” he said. “I was thinking if I have one bad movie, it’s over.”

When the film came out in 2015, it broke records and was a critical and commercial success. Many expected that it would be one of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and many thought it had been snubbed. (The film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.)

“Ten movies every year get nominated for Best Picture, it’s like, ‘This year we’re gonna do [eight],'” he joked. Although the actor still finds it “crazy,” there are no hard feelings. “We were fine being the people’s champions.”

Looking back on making Straight Outta Compton, Jackson’s confidence as an actor grew.

“Every project after that, I just wanted to keep my head down, not make waves and show that I can do great work. Show up on time, be ready. And now when I look back on the things that I’ve done and the career that I’ve laid out and where we’re headed now, I feel like I had nothing to worry about back then, but anxiety keeps you on your toes,” he said. “What I really want to do is work.”

Jackson hopes Den of Thieves is the next Fast and Furious-type franchise.

“I keep telling Gerard, I’m a big fan of Fast and Furious, I’m gonna use you until you’re 90, bro,” he laughed. “We’re gonna do this forever.”

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is on streaming platforms now.