National Treasure Fans Will Love This Exciting Threequel Update
"National Treasure" is a franchise that only seemed to be growing when the second film, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," was released in 2007. The newest adventure from Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) performed even better than the first movie did. The first installment was released in 2004 and earned over $347.5 million worldwide, while the sequel brought in a hefty $459 million (per Box Office Mojo). With totals like that, a third movie seemed inevitable. Audiences couldn't get enough of Cage stealing the Declaration of Independence and wandering around in secret Washington D.C. tunnels explaining history as only a character embodied by Cage can.
It's been years since any solid updates on a "National Treasure 3" and recent news hasn't given us much hope. While the movie arm of the franchise lays dormant, Disney+ is working on a new television series that will act as part of the franchise, but not include Cage's Ben Gates although Justin Bartha is returning as Ben's right-hand man Riley Poole). Cage himself has also insisted recently he's more interested in independent cinema and said a string of flops cast doubt on a third movie in the franchise (via GQ). Fans, however, finally have some exciting news about the potential for a new film, and it comes from one of Hollywood's biggest producers.
Bruckheimer confirms a new National Treasure script is being worked on
On Friday, May 27, famous franchise producer Jerry Bruckheimer took to Reddit while promoting his latest sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick." During this AMA-style chat with fans, he dropped some big news about "National Treasure 3" when a fan asked if he will work with Cage again.
"Any plans to work with Nicolas Cage again any time soon?" Reddit user u/stupidsheila asked the veteran producer. Beyond the two "National Treasure" movies, the actor and producer have teamed on "Con Air," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," "G-Force," and "The Rock," so it's not difficult to surmise that the two may enjoy each other's work. Bruckheimer replied, "Absolutely. I love Nicolas. He's a brilliant actor, and we are currently working on a script for 'National Treasure.'" It's welcome news for fans after Cage's comments earlier this year and the TV show suggesting the film franchise may be abandoned by Disney.
It's been a whopping 15 years since the release of the last "National Treasure" movie, so a trilogy capper happening sometime in the near future would be quite a feat. Bruckheimer is no stranger to long stretches of time between sequels. The first "Top Gun" film was released in 1986. The sequel, which brings back Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, hit theaters in May 2022, making that a 36-year gap. Who's to say Bruckheimer can't work his magic and bring another highly-anticipated sequel to the screen for another beloved franchise?