The 2000s introduced a wave of new franchises. Harry Potter drew crowds in droves, Marvel tried something new called a “Cinematic Universe,” and The Lord of the Rings took epic filmmaking to bold new heights. But for every successful series, a few petered out after one or two movies, like Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Inspector Gadget, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
One such franchise was National Treasure, the American-history-themed mystery thriller starring Nicolas Cage. The first movie, from 2004, is mostly remembered for the line-turned-meme “I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence,” while the second, 2007’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets, had our characters heroically kidnap the president. Now, it looks like the franchise could be revived for a belated third installment.
