Disney is home to some of the biggest film franchises that the world has ever seen, but sometimes making new entries, even in very successful franchises, can be a tall order. Disney still hasn’t found a script it's happy with for a sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but we know that work is continually being done on that. It turns out the same is true of a potential National Treasure 3.
National Treasure, starring Nicolas Cage, was a solid hit that spawned one sequel, Book of Shadows, which in turn teased a sequel of its own, though it’s one that has not materialized in the nearly 20 years since that film was released. There has been on again off again talk about a third entry over the years. Most recently, in 2024, producer Jerry Bruckheimer indicated a new film was on the drawing board, though it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about it.
Jerry Bruckheimer Says National Treasure 3 Is "Coming Along"
Fans can get at least a little excited, however, as Bruckheimer recently spoke with The Direct, where he indicated that National Treasure 3 is still “coming along quite well” and that they were still actively "working on the script for it." While that certainly doesn't give us any reason to expect that the movie will happen anytime soon, there is clearly still hope that it will happen eventually.
This is in sharp relief to comments Nicolas Cage made a couple of years ago, where he seemingly removed all hope that National Treasure 3 would happen. There is still hope that if a sequel did happen, Cage would be back. Franchise director Jon Turtletaub seems confident that if the movie happens, the star would return.
Attempts To Continue The Franchise Without Nicolas Cage Were Not Successful
And Cage’s return will likely be key to a National Treasure 3 happening at all. The only new franchise entry we’ve seen since the second movie was the series National Treasure: Edge of History (available with a Disney+ subscription). Cage did not appear, and the series was cancelled after one season. While there’s certainly no guarantee those two things were related, it’s difficult not to make such a connection.
Last we heard, Ted Elliott, who is also attached to the in-progress Pirates of the Caribbean 6 script, was the one handling the new National Treasure movie as well. Maybe this is why both movies have taken so long if one person is trying to put them both together at the same time.
Considering how many recent movies have seen sequels come out decades after the original, and sometimes to great success, there’s no reason to assume National Treasure 3 won’t be great, assuming it actually happens.
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