Index  ›  business  ›  Gizmodo
business · Gizmodo ↗

Sounds Like 'National Treasure 3' Could Finally, For Real Happen

Gizmodo Published Aug 22, 2026 Reviewed Aug 23, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
Sounds Like 'National Treasure 3' Could Finally, For Real Happen
Disney greenlit a third National Treasure movie over six years ago.
more than 6 years · Disney
Director Jon Turtletaub revealed on Friday night that National Treasure 3 was finally real.
Jon Turtletaub, director

It’s been over six years since Disney greenlit a third National Treasure movie. Years of radio silence, and a short-lived TV spinoff, seemed to indicate this revival wasn’t in the cards after all, and that was the end of that.

Apparently not, though. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, director Jon Turtletaub revealed on Friday night that National Treasure 3 was “finally real.” At a weekend event devoted celebrating the first movie, he told attendees they “deserve to have the scoop:” there’s a script he and Disney currently like, and there’s a plan to bring back everyone “to whatever extent we can.”

What makes National Treasure 3 more likely now? For one thing, Nicolas Cage has been having a high-profile moment recently thanks to Longlegs and Spider-Noir, and with Indiana Jones currently retired, Cage’s Ben Gates can once again fill the void of big screen adventurers. And more broadly, nostalgia’s been talking for Disney: Devil Wears Prada 2 was a big hit this year, and the studio’s been open about wanting to revitalize other franchises like this and Pirates of the Carribean.

To the skeptics, Turtletaub amended the threequel’s status is currently “Hollywood real, meaning things could happen. If Nic gets hit by a bus, there’s no National Treasure 3. If I get hit by a bus, there’s probably a [movie].” Part of why it’s taken so long to get off the ground is the United States’ current political climate, which has involved actively removing the more racist parts of the country’s history from public record. If the film happens, the state of affairs is something he hopes to tackle, as he doesn’t think “we’re allowed to ignore it. I think we have to include that idea in the story somehow without making someone feel put off,” he said.

We’ll have more on National Treasure 3 as news emerges.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Whether your budget is $10 or $1,300, we've got tech and gear recommendations that will make the new semester more productive and entertaining.

If 'Star Wars' or Marvel have any future in TV, it seems it'll mostly be some animated adventures.

The next 'Lilo and Stitch' movie is pulling from the franchise's cartoon, and may be setting itself up for future films in the process.

The beloved action-RPG franchise finally gets the TV series its fans have been hoping for.

The blockbuster Pixar sequel hits digital August 18, with a Blu-ray arriving September 22.

What needs to be done for Hollywood to quit holding animation at arm's length? Industry veterans have some ideas.

This article was originally published by Gizmodo ↗. citations.press indexes the source-backed facts above and links to the original. Something wrong? Corrections policy · Report an error