Nicholas Cage has played a slew of characters over his career, from a powerful sorcerer to an expert car thief and almost everything in between. Of the many exceptional parts he’s taken on though, none have resonated better with a younger audience than that of Benjamin Franklin Gates from the National Treasure films. And while we know that a third chapter is now in development, it seems that Disney is also in the market for a fourth Cage-led installment.
Despite poor reviews from critics, fans seem to enjoy the National Treasure titles enough for the series to be labeled as a success when it comes to the box office. After all, there’s a lot to love about the franchise, especially how it blends intriguing conspiracy theories with actual US history. The only thing more impressive than its fascinating storylines though were the big name stars playing the characters. Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris and, of course, Cage leading the way brought audiences on some unforgettable adventures, and Disney wants to keep the party going past the next film.
According to our sources – the same ones who told us National Treasure 3 was in development months before it was confirmed by the trades – after the third film, the studio wants to do one more entry in the franchise with Cage once again returning in the lead role and embarking on another treasure hunt of some sort.
Before Disney can get their fourth planned film off the ground though, they’ll have to reignite the franchise with the third iteration. There’s no word yet if National Treasure 3 will be a theatrical endeavor or if it’ll be a Disney+ exclusive, but finding a home on the fledgling streaming platform could definitely be a huge selling point for the already popular service.
In any case, it’s still early, early days for the next National Treasure film, and the one after that, but fans can at least rest easy knowing that the Mouse House plans to bring us two more movies in the franchise, before presumably closing things out. Or, maybe even having Cage pass the torch, so to speak, on to a younger lead.
