I can’t think of a more perfect actor to steal the Declaration of Independence in National Treasure than Nicolas Cage. In the 2004 film, Cage played Benjamin Gates, an adventurer who stole one of the U.S.’s most prized documents to find a secret treasure map on the back of it. The Indiana Jones-inspired National Treasure was the perfect balance of history and adventure. Of course, the success of the first film led to a sequel in 2007, National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
In the years since Book of Secrets, there have been numerous rumors about National Treasure 3. Both films combined grossed over $800 million, so a third installment seems like a sure thing. However, despite the high demand, National Treasure 3 has had lots of trouble getting off the ground. What is the status of the third film? Here is everything you need to know about National Treasure 3.
Is National Treasure 3 in development?
After spending a decade in development hell, National Treasure 3 was announced in 2020. Variety reported Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer were moving forward with a third film. Chris Bremner (Bad Boys: Ride or Die) was tapped to pen the script. In March 2024, Bruckheimer told MovieWeb that he is still working on the third film and wished Cage would return.
“Well, we hope there’s a National Treasure 3,” said Bruckheimer. “We’ve been working on it for quite a while. We have a brilliant writer working on it right now, so hopefully, if we get a script in a timely fashion, we’ll send it to Nic [Cage] and, if he likes it, we’ll make another one. We certainly would like to.”
Bruckheimer told EW in May 2024 that Ted Elliot, who wrote the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, was writing the third National Treasure film. Elliot later told the National Treasure Hunt that nobody has yet gotten to what the new treasure will be in the third movie, saying the next heist will be the “weirdest ever.”
That says quite a lot, as in the last two films, Nic Cage stole the Declaration of Independence and found a city of gold inside Mount Rushmore. Maybe the third film will see Cage discover that the Washington Monument was an alien spaceship.
Likewise, Elliot stated that the film will feature returning characters besides Ben, Abigail, and Riley, and that there will be an enjoyable change to Ben and Riley’s inner relationship. He also said the first draft of the movie’s script was finished but needed rewrites.
“These things take time,” said Bruckheimer. “Your writers sometime really need to dig in and sequester themselves. Ted is a phenomenal writer, but he’s not the fastest. So we wait and wait and wait, but he’s excellent. And you know what? It’s worth the wait. When you have a great writer, it’s gold. When you get something on the page, it looks so easy.”
Jon Turteltaub, who directed the first two films, was not confirmed to direct National Treasure 3. Despite this, Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley, the duo who penned both National Treasure films, told EW in September 2022 that Turteltaub was helping to develop the third film.
When asked about the chances of him starring in National Treasure 3, Nicolas Cage told MovieWeb in May 2025, “Don’t know. I do know there’s been more chatter about it than normal.” Fortunately, Bruckheimer recently told TheWrap that Cage was expected to return for the threequel.
“We’re getting closer on that one,” Bruckheimer said about the project.
Does National Treasure 3 have a release date?
No. National Treasure 3 is not on Disney’s release calendar.
Who is in the National Treasure 3 cast?
While no official cast has been revealed, Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, and Diane Kruger are expected to return as Benjamin Gates, Riley Poole, and Dr. Abigail Chase, respectively. The other actors who starred in both National Treasure films include:
- Jon Voight as Patrick Gates
- Armando Riesco as FBI Special Agent Hendricks
- Harvey Keitel as FBI Special Agent Peter Sadusky
How many National Treasure films are there?
There are two National Treasure movies, both directed by Turteltaub. National Treasure premiered on November 19, 2004, grossing over $347 million in theaters worldwide.
The sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, arrived on December 21, 2007. The plot centered around Gates’ quest to find a missing page in John Wilkes Booth’s diary that would prove the innocence of his late ancestor in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Against a $130 million budget, the film grossed over $459 million at the box office.
What’s the deal with that National Treasure TV series?
Cormac and Wibberley developed the 10-episode series, National Treasure: Edge of History, which premiered on Disney+ on December 14, 2022. for Disney+. The show starred Lisette Olivera as Jess Valenzuela, a young woman who, after learning about her late father’s history as a treasure protector, sets out to find a Pan-American treasure.
National Treasure: Edge of History’s ensemble includes Zuri Reed, Antonio Cipriano, Jordan Rodrigues, Jake Austin Walker, Lyndon Smith, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Bartha, Riesco, and Keitel also reprised their roles from the films for the Disney+ series. Disney canceled National Treasure: Edge of History after one season.
Ted Elliot told the National Treasure Hunt podcast in August 2024 that he is treating the series as canon with his script for the third film. This means Agent Sudusky will remain dead, and Harvey Keitel likely won’t return in the movie.
“I’m trying to do something different with the FBI than was done in the previous two movies,” said Elliot. “[They’re] still the pursuers, [they’re] still the force for law and order, but just the way they operate, I’m trying to do something just a little bit different.”
In addition, Bruckheimer explained that Edge of History succeeded in keeping the franchise’s name “alive in the public eye [and] the zeitgeist.” All in all, the series could build up more hype for the third film should it finally come to fruition.
