After more than a decade since the last installment came out, Disney is reportedly in the process of getting the band back together for National Treasure 3. According to our sources – the same ones who told us an Aladdin sequel was in the works, and that a Joker sequel is happening, both of which are now confirmed – Academy Award-winner Nicolas Cage will reprise his role as protagonist Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and amateur cryptologist who dedicates his life to searching for a lost treasure that was hidden during the American Revolutionary War.
It’s currently unknown whether the film will release in theaters or go straight to Disney+, but either way, it’s sure to be an event that fans won’t want to miss out on. After all, despite lackluster reviews from critics, the National Treasure series has proven to be a box office success. The franchise is anchored by big-time stars like Cage, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel and more and by seamlessly blending real history with fictional conspiracy theories, the films managed to captivate audiences throughout both the 2004 original and its 2007 sequel.
Though there’s been talk about a third movie for years, nothing ever really seemed to materialize until now. It’s currently unknown if the rest of the cast will return for the follow-up, but since the last installment, Voight has made a name for himself by being a strong public advocate of America’s unpopular president. As such, Disney might not want to invite this kind of controversy and could choose to either recast the role or simply kill off his character.
And as for where it will release, while the most profitable decision for the studio would be to drop the flick in theaters, there’s a strong case to be made for optioning it to Disney+ as well. After all, the highly-anticipated feature would likely cause even more people to subscribe to the already extremely popular streaming platform, lest they miss out on the conclusion to the National Treasure trilogy.
In any case, it’s still early days for the project, but as soon as we learn more, we’ll be sure to let you know. Watch this space.
