Director Jon Turteltaub told a room full of fans in Philadelphia what they had been waiting nearly two decades to hear: National Treasure 3 is happening with Nicolas Cage reprising his role as Ben Gates.
The filmmaker made the announcement Friday (Aug. 22) during a live taping of the National Treasure Hunt podcast at the Philadelphia Visitor Center, part of the city's inaugural National Treasure Weekend fan event.
He framed the moment as a genuine exclusive, telling the crowd it was teh first time he said the news aloud.
"National Treasure 3 is happening. Thank you," Turteltaub told the audience.
The announcement came with details. Turteltaub confirmed a script is in place that cleared his own bar and that Disney responded with a green light in principle.
On the cast, Turteltaub was pointed: "To whatever extent we can, everyone's back." That would put Cage back at the center of the franchise.
The director also addressed why it took so long, citing a political climate he felt had made the franchise's patriotic premise more complicated to navigate.
He recalled a time when the films carried genuine bipartisan goodwill, referencing a private congressional screening requested by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and said that goodwill had since eroded.
"We have to be very careful, but I don't feel we are allowed to ignore it," Turteltaub said. "I think we have to include that idea in the story somehow without making someone feel put off."
The two original National Treasure films together grossed $806 million worldwide, with the 2007 sequel outperforming its predecessor at $459 million. The Disney+ spinoff series National Treasure: Edge of History debuted in 2022 and was canceled after one season.
