National Treasure 3 Finally Happening After 20 Years
More than two decades after the release of National Treasure, the director of Disney’s Nicolas Cage-starring adventure franchise has revealed a third instalment is finally in development.
Jon Turteltaub confirmed the news during a recent live taping of the National Treasure Hunt podcast with hosts Aubrey Paris and Emily Black. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the audience at the Philadelphia Visitor Center was initially stunned by the news before giving the director loud applause and cheers.
“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 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,” said Turteltaub.
He also confirmed that not only has a script been written, but it has also been approved by himself and Disney, adding that “to whatever extent we can, everyone’s back.” Part of the reason why it has taken so long for a third movie to be made, Turteltaub also revealed, is that people are quick to read politics into everything and “take sides.” He said, “We have to be very careful, but I don’t feel we are allowed to ignore it. I think we have to include that idea in the story somehow without making someone feel put off.”
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The first movie was released in 2004 and grossed $347 million worldwide. The adventure thriller starred Cage and Diane Kruger as two historians who become tangled in a plot to steal the Declaration of Independence, which is actually a map to a secret treasure buried by the Freemasons. Other cast members include Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, and Harvey Keitel.
A sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, was released in 2007 and earned $459 million worldwide. That film follows Gates (Cage) as he tries to prove his ancestor’s innocence after a missing page from John Wilkes Booth’s diary implicates him in Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The crew goes on a globetrotting quest that leads them to the President’s secret book and a legendary city of gold. In addition to the original stars, the sequel added Ed Harris, Helen Mirren, and Bruce Greenwood as cast members. More recently, Disney+ released a spin-off TV series, National Treasure: Edge of History, in 2022. However, the show received poor reviews and was cancelled after only one season.
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