National Treasure 3: Hunt Continues in New Sequel

Well, lock up the Declaration of Independence, folks - because after years of false starts, rumored rewrites, and enough fan anticipation to fill a hidden catacomb, National Treasure 3 is officially moving forward. Director Jon Turteltaub has confirmed that the long-gestating threequel is “finally real” and that a script exists. For a franchise that has been stuck in development purgatory since 2007, that’s practically a historical artifact in itself.

Speaking recently about the state of the project, Turteltaub didn’t just tease fans - he gave them something solid to hold onto. “We have a script,” he said, adding that the movie is now a genuine reality rather than a hopeful pipe dream. That might sound like a small step, but for anyone who’s been tracking this project’s saga, it’s the equivalent of finding the last clue on the back of the Liberty Bell. The director’s enthusiasm was palpable, even if he kept the plot details locked tighter than a Ben Gates vault. No word yet on what historical MacGuffin our favorite treasure hunter will chase this time, but you can bet it’ll involve some cryptic maps, a dash of American lore, and at least one scene where Nicolas Cage looks intensely at a piece of paper.

The news arrives after what can only be described as a marathon of development drama. The sequel has been teased, announced, shelved, revived, and teased again more times than we can count. At various points, different writers have taken cracks at the story, with Jerry Bruckheimer - the franchise’s ever-optimistic producer - repeatedly insisting that the movie was close. But close isn’t the same as real, and for years, fans were left with nothing but reruns of the first two films and dreams of a third adventure. Now, with Turteltaub’s confirmation, the project seems to have finally crossed the finish line of development and entered the realm of actual moviemaking.

For the uninitiated, the National Treasure series has carved out a peculiar niche in Hollywood. It’s a blockbuster franchise that treats American history like a giant scavenger hunt, with Cage’s Ben Gates using his encyclopedic knowledge of obscure facts to uncover hidden fortunes. The first film, released in 2004, was a surprise hit, spinning yarns of Freemason conspiracies, stolen maps, and a chase for a treasure that had been stitched into the fabric of the nation itself. The sequel, Book of Secrets, followed in 2007 and doubled down on the absurdly fun formula, sending Gates on a quest to clear his family’s name while hunting for a lost city of gold. The movies were never high art, but they didn’t need to be - they were popcorn entertainment with a clever hook, and audiences ate them up.

Since then, the third installment has been the Holy Grail of sequels. There was even a TV spinoff, National Treasure: Edge of History, which debuted on Disney+ in 2022. The series introduced a new generation of treasure hunters and dropped a few nods to the original films, but it didn’t scratch the same itch. Fans wanted Cage back, they wanted Turteltaub back, and they wanted that specific, slightly goofy magic that made the originals so rewatchable. With Turteltaub now at the helm and Cage presumably ready to reprise his most iconic role since his time as a talking pig, the pieces are finally in place.

What will the plot actually be? That remains a mystery, although there are plenty of breadcrumbs to speculate on. The first two films ended with Gates in possession of massive fortunes, but also with lingering threads - like the mysterious page from John Wilkes Booth’s diary, which was teased in the credits of Book of Secrets. If the new script picks up on that thread, we could be looking at a conspiracy thriller that weaves in presidential assassinations, hidden codes, and enough Revolutionary War trivia to make a history teacher swoon. Or maybe the writers will go in a completely fresh direction, perhaps involving a treasure so legendary it makes the previous hauls look like pocket change. Either way, the potential is enormous, and the fanbase is ravenous.

One thing that hasn’t been clarified is the release date. The film currently has no scheduled premiere, and details on runtime and full casting remain under wraps. But Turteltaub’s comments suggest that the wheels are finally turning in earnest. In an era where studios are throwing billions at established IP, it’s almost surprising that this project took so long to get off the ground. Then again, the production has always been a puzzle box of its own - fans just hope this time the key fits.

For now, all we can do is wait, speculate, and maybe brush up on our history. Because when National Treasure 3 finally hits theaters, you’ll want to be ready to spot the clues before Ben Gates does. And judging by Turteltaub’s latest update, that day might actually come. The treasure is out there - and this time, it’s real.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter