National Treasure 3 Is Happening, Says Director Jon Turteltaub

National Treasure 3 is happening. Director Jon Turteltaub confirmed the long-rumoured sequel at a live taping of the National Treasure Hunt podcast on Friday night at the Philadelphia Visitor Center, with an audience in attendance Variety.

Turteltaub told the crowd that a script is already in the works and that, as he put it, "to whatever extent we can, everyone's back" — a phrase that points toward the original cast without confirming any deals Variety. He also cautioned that the project is "Hollywood real," meaning things could still shift or stall before cameras roll Variety. Representatives for Disney and Nicolas Cage did not immediately respond to Variety's request for comment Variety.

The franchise launched in 2004 with Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger starring as historians who hatch a plot to steal the Declaration of Independence, which doubles as a map to a Freemason treasure. That film grossed $347 million worldwide. The 2007 sequel, National Treasure: The Book of Secrets, pushed the global total higher, grossing $459 million worldwide Variety.

For Disney, those numbers — domestic means the United States and Canada — add up to a reliable adventure brand that has sat largely dormant on the big screen for nearly two decades. A third film has been in development for years; Variety reported as far back as March 2021 that Turteltaub was working with writer Chris Bremner on a script Variety.

In the meantime, Disney tried extending the property to streaming. National Treasure: Edge of History, a Disney+ series headlined by Lisette Olivera with Catherine Zeta-Jones in a co-starring role, premiered in 2022. Justin Bartha reprised his film role, and Jon Turteltaub served as an executive producer alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and director Mira Nair Deadline. The series ran a single season before Disney+ cancelled it in April 2023 Variety.

The National Treasure Hunt podcast, which hosted Turteltaub's announcement, examines the film franchise through an interdisciplinary lens covering history, science, and ethics nthuntpodcast.com. The live Philadelphia recording gave the director a friendly room to break news that fans have waited for since 2007.

Whether Cage, Kruger, Bartha, and the rest of the original company actually return depends on contracts that have not been signed. Turteltaub's "Hollywood real" label is the honest one: a script in progress and a director's enthusiasm are the early stages, not a greenlight. Until Disney sets a release date, the treasure stays buried.