Gerard Butler is set to reprise his role as Nick O'Brien in 'Den of Thieves 2'.

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler

The heist film 'Den of Thieves' may have only been in cinemas for less than a month following its release on January 19, but Deadline have reported it has already been green lit for a sequel, which will see lead character Nick 'Big Nick' O'Brien once again played by the 48-year-old star.

Fellow cast members O'Shea Jackson Jr., and rapper 50 Cent will also return for the sequel, which will once again be helmed by Christian Gudegast, with returning crew members including Tucker Tooley, Mark Canton, and Alan Siegel.

Christian is also writing the script from an original idea, after he penned the first instalment with the help of Paul Scheuring.

According to Deadline, 'Den of Thieves 2' will see Big Nick (Butler) on the hunt in the streets of Europe closing in on Donnie (Jackson Jr.), who is embroiled in the dangerous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world's biggest diamond exchange.

Tucker and Mark are on board to produce the sequel with Gerard and Alan's production company G-BASE, whilst 50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - will produce through his production company G-Unit Film & Television, Inc.

'Den of Thieves' over-performed at the box office after its release last month.

The movie follows Gerard's Big Nick, the hard drinking leader of the Regulators, an elite unit of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Big Nick is hellbent on taking down the Outlaws, a gang of ex-military men lead by Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) who use their expertise and tactical skills to evade the law.

O'Brien, Merrimen and their crews soon find themselves on a direct collision course as the criminals hatch an elaborate plan for a seemingly impossible heist.