It’s been nearly two decades since audiences last followed Benjamin Franklin Gates on the big screen. Since then, rumors about a long-promised third installment in the adventure franchise have come and gone, leaving fans wondering if the series had quietly faded into Hollywood history. Now, there’s finally a meaningful update.
While attending the Producer’s Guild Awards in support of his PGA-nominated film F1, legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer shared a promising development about the long-awaited sequel to National Treasure. Speaking on the red carpet to The Direct, Bruckheimer confirmed that the next chapter of the treasure-hunting saga is moving forward, revealing that the team is currently working on the screenplay.
According to Bruckheimer, the project is “coming along quite well,” signaling the most encouraging progress fans have heard in years. The original National Treasure introduced audiences to historian-turned-adventurer Ben Gates, played by Nicolas Cage, who uncovers hidden clues throughout American history while chasing legendary artifacts.
Its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, arrived three years later and leaned even further into globe-trotting conspiracies and historical puzzles. While reviews were mixed, the film performed strongly at the box office and it became a cult favorite, because of how dementedly fun it was. THE LOST CITY OF GOLD IN MOUNT RUSHMORE! Come on! Genius.
Since then, though, the road to a third movie has been anything but smooth. Talk of another installment has surfaced repeatedly since 2007, often followed by long stretches of silence. Disney attempted to keep the franchise alive with the Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History in 2022, but the show was canceled after a single season, leaving fans once again hoping the story would continue on the big screen.
Back in May 2024, Bruckheimer revealed that Ted Elliott — best known for his work on the Pirates of the Caribbean films — had been tapped to write the screenplay for the third movie. Then, in 2025, Bruckheimer said that the sequel was inching closer to becoming a reality, adding that the intention remained for Cage to return as Ben Gates and for original director Jon Turteltaub to come back behind the camera.
Even with a script in development, one major variable still hangs over the film: whether Cage himself will reprise the role. The actor cast some doubt on the project in 2024 when he told Screen Rant that “there is no National Treasure 3,” suggesting the long-rumored sequel might never materialize. But now… we have hope, at last.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on this movie that simply must happen.
Release Date
November 19, 2004
Runtime
131 minutes
Director
Jon Turteltaub
Diane Kruger
Abigail Chase