More than 20 years after National Treasure first sent Nicolas Cage’s Benjamin Franklin Gates on a hunt for America’s hidden treasures, a third film is officially in development. Director Jon Turteltaub confirmed the news on August 21 during a live recording of the National Treasure Hunt podcast in Philadelphia, telling the audience that they were the first people he had revealed the news to publicly.
The announcement came during Philadelphia’s inaugural National Treasure Weekend, a fan event connected to the franchise’s setting and history. Speaking to podcast hosts Aubrey Paris and Emily Black, Turteltaub confirmed that National Treasure 3 is moving forward, while adding the usual Hollywood caveat that plans can always change. The announcement was met with a strong reaction from the audience.
Turteltaub also addressed why the third movie has taken so long to materialize. According to the director, the increasingly polarized political climate in the United States became one of the major obstacles to developing another National Treasure film. The original movies leaned heavily into American history and patriotism, and Turteltaub said the filmmakers became concerned that a new film could be interpreted as a partisan statement rather than an adventure built around American history.
The director recalled an incident in which a former Speaker of the House contacted him to request a private screening of the original film for members of Congress. According to Turteltaub, some lawmakers were surprised that a film with such an openly patriotic theme had been made by Democrats. For the third installment, he said the filmmakers intend to address the divisions affecting contemporary America rather than ignore them.
“We have to be very careful, but I don’t feel we are allowed to ignore it,” Turteltaub said.
The status of the screenplay has also changed considerably over the years. Nicolas Cage said as recently as 2024 that there was no National Treasure 3, while producer Jerry Bruckheimer had previously indicated at various points that a script was being developed. Turteltaub has now confirmed that a script exists and that Disney has approved it. He also indicated that the original cast is expected to return to whatever extent possible, including Cage.
The original National Treasure was released in 2004, with Turteltaub directing and Jerry Bruckheimer producing. Cage starred as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and cryptographer from a family of treasure hunters who believes that the Founding Fathers hid a vast treasure. The film’s central mystery involved a map concealed on the back of the Declaration of Independence.
The cast also featured Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin Bartha and Christopher Plummer. Made on a reported $100 million budget, National Treasure grossed approximately $347.5 million worldwide, becoming a significant commercial success for Disney and leading to a sequel.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets followed in 2007, bringing back the principal cast and continuing the Gates family’s adventures. The two theatrical films have collectively grossed more than $800 million worldwide.
Disney later attempted to continue the franchise through television with National Treasure: Edge of History. The Disney+ series premiered in 2022 and starred Lisette Olivera, with Catherine Zeta-Jones among its cast. The series was cancelled after one season.
Plot details for National Treasure 3 have not been revealed. Turteltaub has confirmed, however, that the film will address the political and social divisions in contemporary America. The subject could provide the new treasure hunt with a broader thematic framework while maintaining the historical mystery and adventure elements that defined the first two movies.
Cage’s potential return is particularly significant because Benjamin Franklin Gates remains one of his most recognizable mainstream characters. The actor has enjoyed a major critical resurgence in recent years, earning widespread praise for films including Pig and taking on a varied selection of projects across film and television. A return to the National Treasure franchise would reunite him with one of the roles most closely associated with his earlier commercial career.
For fans, the key development is that National Treasure 3 has moved beyond years of speculation. Turteltaub has confirmed that the script exists, Disney has approved it and the filmmakers are working toward bringing the original cast back, with Cage among those expected to return.
National Treasure 3 is currently in development at Disney. No release date has been announced.
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