Now You See Me Writer Confirms He Wanted Sequel to Be Called "Now You Don't"

Sequels and spinoffs have become increasingly popular in our movie landscape, and have ranged from billion-dollar blockbusters to anticlimatic conclusions. Somewhere among those two is Now You See Me 2, the 2016 sequel to the hit Now You See Me. While the film was a box office success, earning $334 million worldwide, it was met with some scrutiny by critics -- particularly about the film's title. Some had hoped that the sequel would be titled Now You Don't, as a reference to the long-running phrase associated with magicians. According to a new post from the film's writer, Ed Solomon, that was the film's initial plan. During a recent Reddit AMA, he revealed that his initial title idea for the film was Now You Don't, but that was ultimately shot down by the film's marketing department.

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So, if you're in the camp that had been hoping for Now You Don't, you can rest easy that you're not alone. With a third installment of the film, which is described as a "fresh take" on the Ocean's 11-like premise, currently in the works from American Hustle writer Eric Warren Singer, maybe that will come to fruition.

"Eric has always been fascinated with the fine art of deception and illusion in all of its forms and he came to us with a great story that takes the mythology of Now You See Me and pushes The Four Horsemen to a whole new level with our key returning cast and new characters," said Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, in a statement when the threequel was first announced. "The Now You See Me franchise has been built on keeping the audience surprised and guessing. Any great magician knows, you can't keep doing the same tricks. And Eric and his team of illusionists have something special up their sleeve for this new film."

Jonathan Bayme and Theory 11 will serve as a magic consultant to the filmmakers, with Secret Hideout's Bobby Cohen and Alex Kurtzman producing alongside Lionsgate's Meredith Wieck and Aaron Edmonds. Kurtzman, who is currently working on Star Trek projects for CBS All Access, was a producer on the first two Now You See Me movies.

Are you sad that Now You See Me 2 wasn't ultimately titled Now You Don't? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!