The Big Picture

• National Treasure 3 is still a possibility, as producer Jerry Bruckheimer gives hope to fans for another adventure with Ben Gates.
• The franchise, known for its iconic characters and historical mysteries, remains popular with audiences.
• While waiting for updates on a potential third film, fans can enjoy the entire National Treasure franchise on Disney+.

One of Disney’s most beloved modern franchises has been National Treasure. The film series starring Nicolas Cage as treasure hunter Ben Gates was the studio's answer to Indiana Jones and, in the past two decades since the first film's release, has grown a rabid following. There have been rumors and whispers of a third film for years, but recently Cage shot down hope as quickly as his character decided to steal the Declaration of Independence. That has understandably saddened the fanbase. However, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has provided new-found hope that we’ll see National Treasure 3.

In a sit down with MovieWeb for his upcoming movie The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, the famed National Treasure and Top Gun producer was asked about the seemingly ill-fated franchise. Bruckheimer was optimistic and said, “Well, we hope there's a National Treasure 3. We've been working on it for quite a while. We have a brilliant writer working on it right now, so hopefully, if we get a script in a timely fashion, we'll send it to Nic [Cage] and, if he likes it, we'll make another one. We certainly would like to." So, if you're a fan, this may be the beacon of light or an X marks the spot moment we’ve all been looking for. Cage previously stated “If you’re looking to find treasure, don’t look at Disney.” However, now it sounds like the actor was looking in the wrong place and just hasn’t been sent a draft of a potential script yet.

‘National Treasure’ Is… Well, a National Treasure

If you’re a kid of the 2000s, you most likely have memories of seeing the National Treasure films in theaters. This modest treasure hunting duology may at first just seem like an excuse to cash in on the nostalgia of the adventure genre. However, that couldn’t have been any further from the truth as National Treasure and its equally great sequel, Book of Secrets, formed its own identity thanks to its campy premise that took its character’s love for history seriously. Ben Gates is an underrated action-adventure hero and arguably Cage’s most famous role. The actor gave it his all to make an iconic character. With the help of Jon Turteltaub's energetic direction, Trevor Rabin’s brilliant musical score, and the now classic scenarios like kidnapping the President of the United States, the National Treasure films are some of the most rewatchable in history. We haven’t seen Ben Gates in over 15 years and the franchise hasn’t been on the big screen in that time frame. That being said, National Treasure recently got resurrected in the spin-off Disney+ series Edge of History in 2022. It lasted only one season, but it expanded the lore of the franchise in some exciting ways while further teasing what was on Page 47 of the fabled “book of secrets”. Fans still need answers to that mystery.

While we anxiously wait for any more National Treasure 3 updates, you can stream the entire franchise on Disney+. The trailer for the first film can be seen below.

Watch on Disney+