For nearly two decades, the biggest mystery surrounding National Treasure 3 hasn’t involved a hidden map, a secret book or something tucked away inside a famous American landmark.
It’s been whether we were ever actually going to get the movie.
Apparently, we finally are.
Director Jon Turteltaub, who directed both National Treasure movies starring Nicolas Cage, surprised fans Friday night by revealing that the long-discussed third installment is finally moving forward.
Turteltaub shared the news during a live recording of the National Treasure Hunt podcast at Philadelphia’s Independence Visitor Center as part of the city’s first National Treasure Weekend. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the director told the audience that he had never publicly revealed the news before, but confirmed that National Treasure 3 is now “finally real.”
There is, however, an important Hollywood-sized asterisk attached to that statement.
Why National Treasure 3 Is Finally Moving Forward
Turteltaub described the sequel as “Hollywood real,” acknowledging that circumstances can always change before cameras begin rolling.
But this update is considerably more substantial than many of the vague National Treasure 3 comments fans have heard over the years.
There’s now a screenplay that Turteltaub wants to make — and, crucially, Disney likes it too.
Turteltaub explained that the project finally reached the point where the filmmakers have a script they believe works and Disney sees a movie it wants to make. That’s an important distinction after years of attempts to crack the story.
The sequel has spent much of the last two decades stuck in various stages of development, with producers, writers and cast members repeatedly expressing interest without getting another movie into production.
This time, Turteltaub believes they’ve finally crossed that hurdle.
Will Nicolas Cage Return as Ben Gates in National Treasure 3?
That’s certainly the plan.
Turteltaub indicated that Nicolas Cage will return as Benjamin Franklin “Ben” Gates, the historian and treasure hunter at the center of the first two films.
He also said the goal is to bring back as much of the original cast as possible.
That potentially opens the door for familiar faces including Justin Bartha’s Riley Poole and Diane Kruger’s Abigail Chase, although individual returning cast members beyond Cage have not yet been formally announced.
And after such a long wait, getting the original group back together would be an important part of making a third movie feel like a genuine continuation rather than simply reviving the National Treasure name.
Cage first played Ben Gates in 2004’s National Treasure, which sent the historian on an increasingly ridiculous — and enormously entertaining — mission involving a treasure map hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence.
He returned in 2007 for National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
Fans have been waiting ever since.
Will National Treasure 3 Finally Reveal What’s on Page 47?
And there’s one mystery in particular that has survived that entire wait:
What’s on Page 47?
At the end of National Treasure: Book of Secrets, the President asks Ben to look at Page 47 of the President’s secret book.
The audience never gets to see what the page contains.
Whatever Ben reads, however, is significant enough for him to describe the information as “life-altering.”
Then the movie ends.
Nearly 19 years later, fans still don’t have an answer.
The short-lived Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History even teased the unresolved mystery. When Justin Bartha returned as Riley Poole, the character suggested that he and Ben had continued working on something extremely important, making a very deliberate reference to the number 47.
Whether the new screenplay finally pays that mystery off remains unknown.
But if Turteltaub, Cage and the original characters really are returning, Page 47 is sitting there waiting to become one of National Treasure 3’s biggest story hooks.
Why Did National Treasure 3 Take So Long?
The third movie has been discussed almost since Book of Secrets left theaters.
The problem was never a complete lack of interest.
Various versions of a screenplay have been developed over the years, while producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Turteltaub continued discussing the possibility of bringing Cage back for another adventure.
What never materialized was the combination of a story the filmmakers liked, a screenplay Disney wanted to make and all the pieces necessary to actually move forward.
Turteltaub also told the Philadelphia audience that developing a story involving American history became increasingly difficult amid the country’s changing political climate.
That makes his latest comments particularly notable.
It’s no longer simply we want to make National Treasure 3.
They have a screenplay. Turteltaub likes it. Disney likes it. And Nicolas Cage is part of the plan.
After almost two decades, that’s real progress.
What About National Treasure: Edge of History?
The franchise did briefly return without Cage.
Disney+ launched National Treasure: Edge of History in 2022, introducing Lisette Olivera as Jess Valenzuela and a new generation of treasure hunters.
The series maintained connections to the movies, including appearances by Justin Bartha as Riley Poole and Harvey Keitel as Peter Sadusky.
But Edge of History was canceled after one season, leaving the future of the franchise once again centered on the possibility of a third theatrical movie.
Now, for the first time in years, that possibility appears substantially closer to reality.
When Will National Treasure 3 Be Released?
There is no release date for National Treasure 3 yet, and Disney has not announced a production start date.
That’s where Turteltaub’s “Hollywood real” qualification matters.
The project appears to have made a major step forward, but there is still a considerable distance between an approved screenplay and Nicolas Cage racing through another historical landmark on a movie screen.
Still, longtime fans have waited nearly 19 years since National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
They finally have something considerably more concrete to hold onto.
Ben Gates appears to be coming back.
And maybe — just maybe — we’re finally going to find out what’s on Page 47.
Thomas Miller is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Seat42F, covering television, movies and streaming entertainment. He launched Seat42F in 2007 and has spent nearly two decades covering the entertainment industry.
