National Treasure 3 Finds New Life After Nicolas Cage Bows Out

National Treasure 3 just popped back up on the radar. After years of stop-and-go chatter, producer Jerry Bruckheimer says the movie is moving — not sprinting, but moving — and that the team is back at the keyboard.

Where things stand right now

On the red carpet at the Producers Guild Awards, Bruckheimer offered a quick status check and kept it sunny:

"It is coming along quite well."

"We are working on the script for it."

So yes, it is still in the writing phase. No start date. No release date. But it is active, and that is more than we could say for long stretches of the last decade-plus.

The long road back (because this franchise has taken the scenic route)

• 2004-2007: The first two Disney movies turned Nicolas Cage into history-puzzle folk hero Ben Gates. The sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, hit theaters in 2007 and remains the most recent film.
• Post-2007: Rumors of a third entry never stopped. Meetings, drafts, more meetings. You know the drill.
• 2022: Disney tried a side door with the streaming spinoff National Treasure: Edge of History. It premiered, ran one season, and was canceled.
• May 2024: Bruckheimer said veteran writer Ted Elliott boarded National Treasure 3. Elliott co-wrote multiple Pirates of the Caribbean films and, at the time, was juggling both that franchise and this one.
• Late 2025: Bruckheimer said they were close to pushing the movie forward, with Nicolas Cage set to return as Ben Gates and Jon Turteltaub back to direct. Still no production schedule. Still no date.

The Nicolas Cage of it all

Last year, Cage flat-out tossed cold water on the whole idea, saying:

"There is no National Treasure 3."

Cut to now, with Bruckheimer saying the script is underway and momentum is good. Mixed messages? Absolutely. Welcome to franchise development.

So, what should you actually expect?

Script work is active. Bruckheimer remains optimistic. The plan still involves Cage back in the lead and Turteltaub in the chair, which is the classic lineup. Ted Elliott being involved is notable — the guy knows his way around a big, booby-trapped blockbuster — but until Disney plants cameras in front of Mount Rushmore (again), treat this as progress, not a promise.

I want this weird, clever, clue-chasing series back as much as anyone. I will believe it when I see a slate and a shoot date. For now, the treasure map is at least back on the table.