It’s been almost nine years since we’ve seen a National Treasure movie, but a third installment has always been something lingering in our periphery, thanks to cryptic yet hopeful teases from producers. Nic Cage himself offers up the latest update on the franchise, which seems to still be heading towards National Treasure 3. The problem, apparently, is the fact-checking has taken longer than expected.
Speaking with EW for his new movie The Trust, Cage said:
I haven’t really heard anything about that. I do know that those scripts are very difficult to write, because there has to be some credibility in terms of the facts and fact-checking, because it was relying on historical events. And then you have to make it entertaining. I know that it’s been a challenge to get the script where it needs to be. That’s as much as I’ve heard. But they’re still working on it.
I don’t know about you, but I always admired the National Treasure films for being historically accurate…Psych! At the very least, they were great at that historic mumbo jumbo that often times you could forgive the gross overreach in order to make their treasure hunts line up with real events and people.
The National Treasure films also featured Diane Kruger as Cage’s love interest Abigail, Justin Bartha as his partner-in-crime Riley, and Jon Voight as his dad Patrick. The second movie also brought in Helen Mirren as Cage’s mom, Emily.
When last Collider spoke with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the matter (that was back in 2014) he confirmed director John Turteltaub was coming back but with a new team of writers. “Yeah, we’re working on another National Treasure,” he said at the time. “We just had a meeting on Friday with the writers and the director, so hopefully that will come together.”