'National Treasure 3': Here's Everything We Know So Far

The wait has been the longest and fans now really want to know whether waiting for 'National Treasure' to make a comeback is worthwhile or not. The famous movie franchise's production has been stalled after its first sequel. This Disney adventure film was a huge commercial success at the box office. However, the movie did receive criticism from the critics leading to mixed reviews from fans as well. But, admit it or not, this movie became the best guilty pleasure of the 2000s. 

Let's refreshen the storyline a bit— 'National Treasure' is a story about a historian and amateur cryptologist, Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicolas Cage. He is looking for a lost treasure, and while his search was on, he got to know about a secret code written behind the Declaration Of Independence of America. Those codes consisted of hints and clues that led them towards the national treasure. 

The movie was released in 2004 and garnered a massive amount of $347.5 million against a budget of $100 million. The second movie, 'National Treasure: Book Of Secrets' grossed even more than the first one in 2007, collecting approximately $457.4 million worldwide. However, even after having two successful movies back to back, the third one didn't make it to the theaters. The question is, will it ever get a renewal? Let's find out.

Will There Be 'National Treasure 3'?

On paper, a third 'National Treasure' film is officially in the works! We have been waiting for more than a decade ever since the release of 'National Treasure: The Book of Secrets' in 2007. In May 2020, Jerry Bruckheimer revealed to Collider that not only a third 'National Treasure' film is coming, but a Disney+ TV series titled National Treasure: Edge of History is also in development. 

"We’re certainly working on one [National Treasure] for streaming, and we’re working on one for the big screen. Hopefully, they’ll both come together, and we’ll bring you another National Treasure, but they’re both very active....The one for Disney+ is a much younger cast. It’s the same concept but a young cast. The one for theatrical would be the same cast."

Fortunately, we have a release date for the spin-off series, which is December 14. But, details on the threequel are under wraps. 

Does Nicolas Cage Say Anything About The Delay?

It is even harder for actors not to talk about the movie they have been a part of for so long, and therefore, Nicolas Cage did address the questions and justifies the delay in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said that it is difficult to find scripts for a movie like National Treasure. He also said that since the movie concerns historical events, the team has to be very accurate with the facts, as facts cannot be altered. Having said that, Nicolas also mentioned that there is a lot of pressure for the story to be entertaining, which is obvious to expect from a movie that has performed well in the past.

Therefore, the biggest challenge is to find the correct script to produce that will match the current scenario of the world. Nicolas also hinted that fans shouldn't give up hope for the third installment as his team is working on the third part of the movie.

In August 2022, Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that a script for National Treasure 3 has been written and sent to Nicholas Cage for approval. He mentions that it's good, but they will wait for Cage to share his opinion. While talking to ComicBook.com, Bruckheimer said: "[l]et's hope we're working on the script right now. Hopefully [Cage] likes it, but it's really good. So I think we'll get it to him shortly."

There's definitely hope for the third film, but we still need to wait for another update from the cast and crew.

When Can We Expect 'National Treasure 3' To Release In Theaters?

There is still no release date yet as of this update. The film has still not entered production. So, we will have to continue waiting for a little bit more. Moreover, the prominent cast members of the original film do not feel that the threequel will happen now. In January 2022, Diane Kruger said that she is no longer expecting for a third film to happen.

"I really don't know. No one ever contacted me about the third one, so I don't know," Kruger shared with ComicBook.com. "I feel like, at this point, we're way too old. I don't know. I mean, I would say, 'Never say never,' but it's been a minute, you know?"

Even though it looks like National Treasure 3 is not a possibility, we hope Cage likes the script and production starts soon. We will keep an eye on future updates and edit this space once new information is out. Feel free to bookmark this link for future reference.

Do Fans Want To See 'National Treasure 3'?