'National Treasure 3' Is A Definite...Maybe

by Christopher Hodapp

As the old song goes, "And tho' it's been said many times, many ways..."

No, not Merry Christmas.

Film director John Turteltaub has revealed that, after two decades, National Treasure 3 is finally "in development." According to an article last week, a script has been written and approved by himself, Disney Studios and Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and is now slowly grinding its way up the Hollywood food chain.

Turteltaub said it during a live event for the National Treasure Hunt podcast, held in Philadelphia last Friday.

Of course, he said the same thing in October last year. We've heard all this before, many times over the last 20 years. But this time, he says Nicholas Cage is officially on board again as Benjamin Franklin Gates. In fact, it looks like the whole band may be back together for #3. 

“To the extent that we can, everyone is coming back,” Turtletaub said. That likely includes Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha and Jon Voight. Maybe even Harvey Keitel's Masonic FBI agent, Sadusky.

I hate to remind them all, but they're not getting any younger. As Turtletaub himself pointed out, any one of them could get hit by a bus.

Maybe the 250th anniversary of America's founding this year finally got the Disney bean counters thinking the Internet-sated public might come out out of the basement again for a new action adventure film with a mystery plot based in American history, the way they did 20 years ago for the first two.

Absolutely no clues were dropped concerning the release date or the plot. If you believe the entry on the Internet Movie Database, the original husband and wife writing team of Cormac and Marianne Wibberley are gone from this project. They penned the first National Treasure (2004) and its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). The new credit currently lists Chris Bremner and Ted Elliott.

Bremner is a relative newcomer, with just three produced scripts to his name (Bad Boys For Life, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and The Man From Toronto). Ted Elliott has a much longer and better track record that includes blockbuster hits like the classic animated Aladdin for Disney, Shrek, and all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. So, whether this entry includes any references and Easter eggs for us Masonic fanboys or not, it should at least be entertaining.