Well, it looks like that long-awaited National Treasure sequel might actually be happening. Jon Turteltaub, who directed the first two movies, says National Treasure 3 is finally moving forward.
During a live taping of the National Treasure Hunt podcast in Philadelphia on Friday night, Turteltaub broke the news to the audience, saying, “It’s happening. You’re the first people I’ve said this out loud to. I have not said anything before this, but you deserve to have the scoop. It’s finally real. Now, it’s ‘Hollywood real,’ meaning things could happen. Nic [Cage] gets hit by a bus, there’s no National Treasure 3. If I get hit by a bus, there’s probably a National Treasure 3. Welcome to Hollywood.”
That’s about as Turteltaub as a major movie announcement can get.
The director also revealed that the project has something it’s been missing for years: a script he actually likes.
“We finally have a script that I like,” Turteltaub said, explaining that Disney has also given the screenplay the green light of sorts. According to the director, the studio responded, “OK, this sounds like a movie we can make.”
It’s been a long road back to the big screen for National Treasure. The original movie came out in 2004, with Nicolas Cage playing historian and treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates. In the film, Gates steals the Declaration of Independence after discovering that it contains a hidden clue leading to a legendary treasure.
Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha and Christopher Plummer rounded out the cast. The movie went on to make $347 million worldwide.
Three years later, Cage returned for National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The 2007 sequel brought back much of the original cast and added Helen Mirren, Ed Harris, Bruce Greenwood and Ty Burrell. It also outperformed its predecessor at the global box office, bringing in $459 million.
The franchise eventually got another life on television. National Treasure: Edge of History premiered on Disney+ in 2022, with a new generation of treasure hunters taking center stage. Catherine Zeta-Jones joined the cast, while Bartha and Keitel reprised their franchise roles. The series was canceled after one season.
As for National Treasure 3, there’s still plenty that hasn’t been figured out. No cast members have been announced, so it remains unclear whether Cage will return as Ben Gates.
For now, though, it sounds like the treasure map is finally being pulled out of the drawer again.