Is ‘National Treasure 3’ Happening? Here’s What Director Jon Turtletaub Just Said

National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub says a third film in the Nicolas Cage adventure franchise is officially in the works, revealing the news for the first time during a live taping of the “National Treasure Hunt” podcast in Philadelphia.

What did Jon Turteltaub say about ‘National Treasure 3’?

Turteltaub said, “I have not said anything before this, but you deserve to have the scoop. It’s happening. It’s finally real. Now, it’s ‘Hollywood real,’ meaning things could happen. Nic gets hit by a bus, there’s no ‘National Treasure 3.’ If I get hit by a bus, there’s probably a ‘National Treasure 3.’ Welcome to Hollywood,” according to Variety, which cited the Philadelphia Inquirer’s coverage of the taping.

Turteltaub told Deadline he now has “a script that I like,” which Disney has said “sounds like a movie we can make,” according to Deadline. He added that “to whatever extent we can, everyone’s back,” per Variety. Reps for Disney and Cage did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.

What are the previous ‘National Treasure’ films about?

The original National Treasure, released in 2004, grossed $347 million worldwide and starred Cage and Diane Kruger as historians who become entangled in a plot to steal the Declaration of Independence, which turns out to be a map to a treasure buried by the Freemasons. Cage’s character, Ben Gates, races to secure the document before his colleague Ian (Sean Bean) can steal it first, according to Deadline. The cast also included Justin Bartha, Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel.

A sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, followed in 2007 and grossed $459 million worldwide, with Turteltaub also directing. Together, the films have grossed more than $800 million at the global box office, per Deadline. Disney+ later released a spinoff series, National Treasure: Edge of History, starring Lisette Olivera, Anthony Cipriano, Catherine Zeta-Jones and more, which ran for one season in 2022 before being canceled. Bartha made a guest appearance in the series.

Photo: Disney/Brian Roedel