National Treasure 3 Still in Development With Original Cast Returning

For fans of the National Treasure franchise that have spent a decade begging for another chapter in the story, things are really starting to look up. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed this week that there are not one, but two brand new National Treasure projects in development. There is a TV series in the works at Disney+, which will feature a much younger cast and telling a different story than the first two films. Also in development is National Treasure 3, which Bruckheimer confirmed will feature the original cast members.

"We're certainly working on one [National Treasure] for streaming and we're working on one for the big screen," Bruckheimer told Collider. "Hopefully, they'll both come together and we'll bring you another National Treasure, but they're both very active….The one for Disney+ is a much younger cast. It's the same concept but a young cast. The one for theatrical would be the same cast."

The producer wasn't clear about exactly which members of the original cast would be returning, but it would stand to reason that he's at least referring to the actors behind the franchise's three main characters. Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha led the first two National Treasure movies, and it would be difficult to see a third film getting made without their involvement. The only other main characters to appear in both National Treasure films were played by Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel.

According to Bruckheimer, the script for National Treasure 3 is being written right now. A report from earlier this year revealed that the screenplay was being written by Bad Boys for Life scribe Chris Bremner.

"The film version is being written right now," Bruckheimer added. "The television version is in process. We have a pilot script done and an outline of the future episodes."

It sounds like, if all goes according to plan, the National Treasure TV series will be arriving at about the same time as the third feature film. There's a very bright future ahead for the National Treasure franchise, now all we have to do is wait.

Are you excited for another National Treasure movie? Let us know in the comments!