Now You See Me: Now You Don't Director Reunites With Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson — And Says They’re the Most Fun to Work With

Third time's the charm for the magician-heist franchise: 'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' is on the way, and director Ruben Fleischer is steering the show. His pitch is straightforward: make a crowd-pleaser and get the band back together with his 'Zombieland' pals Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson.

Fleischer told me the draw was twofold. He genuinely loves the first two movies, and after making 'Zombieland: Double Tap' he made himself a promise: keep working with people he likes and keep making fun movies. This one checks both boxes. On top of reuniting with Eisenberg and Harrelson, he finally gets to jump in with the rest of the ensemble he has admired from afar: Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and, yes, the legendary Morgan Freeman. The idea, he says, is to join that existing family and keep delivering big, fizzy entertainment for audiences around the world.

Quick refresher on where we are in the story: Eisenberg is back as Atlas, the leader of the Four Horsemen, the world-famous illusionists who pull off audacious tricks and even more audacious robberies. Harrelson returns as Merritt McKinney, the oldest Horseman and a wizard with mentalism and hypnosis. The twist this time is that the group has been split up for more than a decade. A new mission yanks them out of retirement, and the hook is an eyebrow-raising combo: a billionaire, a diamond, and a Nazi bloodline. Subtle? Not at all. Intriguing? Absolutely. The chase sends them hopping around the globe.

• Eisenberg as Atlas (Horsemen leader) and Harrelson as Merritt (mentalist/hypnotist), both returning
• Dave Franco and Isla Fisher are back as Horsemen vets
• Lizzy Caplan returns too, so yes, both Fisher and Caplan are in this one
• Morgan Freeman reprises his role
• New recruits on the magic side: Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Ariana Greenblatt
• Rosamund Pike plays the billionaire at the center of the new plot

Fleischer is clearly in his happy place with this cast. He calls Harrelson a one-of-a-kind American treasure — always surprising, always original — and he is unabashedly sentimental about Eisenberg.

"If I could do every project with Jesse, I promise you I would, because he's the greatest."

There is some history here. 'Zombieland' was Fleischer's feature debut and a legit hit, pulling in $104 million worldwide on a $23 million budget. He teamed with Eisenberg again on the 2011 action-comedy 'Thirty Minutes or Less,' and with Harrelson on 2021's 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.' This outing marks his fourth go-round with that duo across different projects, which tells you how much he likes being in the trenches with them.

'Now You See Me: Now You Don't' hits theaters on November 14, 2025. The subtitle is a little on the nose, but if Fleischer and the Horsemen stick the landing, I'm not complaining.