The Gunner director, awarded Best Action Drama in 2025, has hinted that one of Europe's most significant cultural treasures could become the target of an audacious cinematic heist. Dimitri Logothetis is planning his next project: a heist thriller set in Europe, which he has written and intends to direct himself. The Greece-born filmmaker, who now lives in Los Angeles, was awarded Best Action Drama for Gunner at the 2025 FilmHaus Film Awards.
Title and the exact target of the heist are still being kept under wraps. However, he is willing to drop a hint: the thieves are not after money.
The plot centres on a robbery of cultural treasures intended to be repatriated to Greece; filming will take place across several European countries. The prize, he says, is one of the world's most famous cultural artefacts, whose history holds particular significance for Greece.
‘If they pull this off, it would be the heist of the century,’ says Logothetis. ‘But what they want to steal — and why — is what makes the story interesting. It is not simply about getting rich.’ He refuses to say more. The story revolves around the ongoing debate over treasures stored far away from the countries claiming them. For a Greek-American filmmaker, this is a highly topical and sensitive issue.
Logothetis has dedicated his career to independent action cinema, working with actors who are also accomplished martial artists. He wrote, produced, and directed the studio-free Kickboxer reboot — Kickboxer: Vengeance and Kickboxer: Retaliation — bringing back Jean-Claude Van Damme as a combat mentor and casting Alain Moussi alongside martial arts world champions such as Dave Bautista, Georges St-Pierre, Gina Carano, and Mike Tyson. Two films have already been released. A third Kickboxer instalment is in the works. This meets the expectations of martial arts audiences.
Next came the science-fiction martial arts film Jiu Jitsu, starring Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage and Tony Jaa, followed by Gunner (2024), featuring Luke Hemsworth as a former Special Forces soldier who takes on a criminal organisation after his sons are kidnapped. Morgan Freeman stars alongside him.
Gunner has won more than 40 awards on the independent festival circuit, including Best Action Drama at the FilmHaus Film Awards (2025). Logothetis was also named Best Director at the London International Filmmakers Festival, alongside further directing accolades in Dublin, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Montreal, Palermo, and Los Angeles. The film won Best Action at the City of Angels Film Festival and the San Diego International Film Awards, as well as Best Feature and Best Picture in Prague, Florence, Oslo, Vancouver, and New York. Hemsworth was honoured as Best Actor at the FirstGlance Film Festival Los Angeles, while Freeman was named Best Actor at the Los Angeles Movie & Music Video Awards.
‘Working with Freeman and Hemsworth was great; they carry the film. The awards are a bonus. You might think nobody cares about independent action films — this proves the opposite.’
With that, the venture was made public: a heist spanning several European countries, cultural treasures, and a return to Greece. The film is set to be cast with European actors alongside well-known Hollywood names.
‘The best heists start with everyone thinking: that is simply impossible.’
