NATIONAL TREASURE 3 Is Actually Happening as Director Jon Turteltaub Says “It’s Finally Real”
More than 20 years after Nicolas Cage stole the Declaration of Independence and gave movie fans a new reason to obsess over hidden maps, secret clues, and American history, National Treasure 3 is finally moving forward.
This isn’t another vague update about someone having an idea or hoping to get the gang back together someday. Jon Turteltaub, who directed the original National Treasure and its sequel, says there’s now a script he likes, Disney approves of it, and the third movie is officially in the works.
Turteltaub shared the news during a live recording of the National Treasure Hunt podcast in Philadelphia, where he decided to give the audience something they definitely weren’t expecting.
“I was thinking about mentioning this tonight, I’ll say it tonight,” he teased. “It’s happening. You’re the first people I have said this out loud to.”
That’s about as encouraging an update as we’ve gotten in a very long time. Of course, Turteltaub knows how Hollywood works, so he immediately added a pretty funny disclaimer.
“It’s finally real. Now, it’s ‘Hollywood real,’ meaning things can happen. Nic gets hit by a bus, there’s no National Treasure. If I get hit by a bus, there’s probably a National Treasure. Welcome to Hollywood, that’s Hollywood.”
Thankfully, the project has made it past one of its biggest hurdles. Turteltaub revealed that they “finally have a script that I like,” and Disney has responded by saying it “sounds like a movie we can make.”
That’s a major step for a sequel that fans have been waiting nearly two decades to see.
The original National Treasure arrived in 2004 with Cage starring as historian and treasure hunter Ben Gates. His mission eventually required him to steal the Declaration of Independence after discovering that the document contained a clue leading to a legendary hidden treasure. The problem was that his shady former colleague Ian Howe, played by Sean Bean, was after it as well.
The movie turned out to be a ridiculously fun adventure, mixing American history with wild puzzles, conspiracies, secret societies, and Cage doing his thing. Turteltaub returned to direct National Treasure: Book of Secrets in 2007.
Despite the success of the first two films, a third Ben Gates adventure never materialized. Disney eventually returned to the franchise with the Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History in 2022, which starred Catherine Zeta-Jones, but that didn’t really catch on.
Now, National Treasure 3 actually has some momentum. There are still plenty of questions, especially when it comes to Nicolas Cage officially returning as Ben Gates and which other original cast members might be involved.
There’s also the small matter of what the hell was on Page 47 of the President’s Book of Secrets, a mystery the second movie left hanging all the way back in 2007.
If National Treasure 3 finally gives us that answer while sending Ben Gates on another insane historical treasure hunt, I’m in. It’s been way too long since Cage went looking for clues hidden inside priceless pieces of American history.
After nearly two decades of talk, National Treasure 3 finally sounds like it has a real shot at happening.