National Treasure Dusts Off the Treasure Map: Beloved Cast Set to Return for Third Film!
Buckle up, treasure hunters! With years of hush whispers and eye-fucks at the Declaration of Independence, a golden light is illuminating the future. Director Jon Turteltaub is working on a script for “National Treasure 3,” Screen Rant reported this week. This is a pretty thrilling update — it’s been 17 years since the last movie, so any true blue fan with a decoder ring will be doing a gasser of a victory dance just reading about it.
Jon Turteltaub says #NATIONALTREASURE3 is now being written
Nicolas Cage will ‘100%’ return if the film gets made PIC.TWITTER.COM/AK8EATIX0V
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) MAY 30, 2024
On a new episode of the “National Treasure Hunt” podcast — which you can listen to HERE — Turteltaub reveals that behind-the-scenes, things are looking up. Well, not only confirming that script there is, but teasing at the (much currency-flying-back-to-resurrect-it) return of our favorite treasure-hunting family! So, Nicolas Cage will likely be back in the khakis and fedora as the Sherlock Holmes-like Benjamin Franklin Gates. Though not officially confirmed, Justin Bartha as tech-savvy Riley Poole and Diane Kruger as enigmatic Abigail Chase are both expected to be joining him. This central trio has become a byword for National Treasure and their on-screen chemistry is arguably the most essential ingredient in the franchise’s appeal.
Bringing back a cherished series after this long may have been no easy task. Turteltaub: That s— is hard — 20 years going by, what people expect of an experience, what people expect a culture to want to see next. Well, do not worry, dear treasure hunters Turteltaub is committed to making the film both a tribute to its forebears as well as a fun jaunt for a contemporary perspective.
Keep in mind Nicolas Cage was reluctant to do a third film. The footage suggests that fears may be unfounded. Recent comments from Turteltaub hint at progress behind the scenes, and when Disney (presumably) gives the go-ahead, everything will be closer to falling in line.
But time is running out. The inexhaustible spirit of the original crew notwithstanding, they are not exactly Benjamin Button. Moreover, viewer tastes change, resulting in a rapidly vanishing time for grabbing that “National Treasure” mojo. Fans are chomping at the bit – the franchise has always had a special spot in the fans hearts and the prospect of another adventure alongside Gates and his crew is simply too delicious a thought.
The script is still being written and official Disney greenlight is pending, but the encouraging winds are there all the same. That means treasure hunters: keep those decoder rings handy and your figurative pickaxes sharp! After that closing scene of National Treasure 2, we can safely assume everyone is excited about the next expedition with more cryptic clues, hidden chambers and history hunting like only Cage can do. Keep an eye on us as well — the tipple chase is just beginning!
