Believe it or not, it’s been fifteen years since National Treasure: Book of Secrets was released theatrically. Fans of the movie franchise have had to wait endlessly, pulling on the hope of a new movie each passing year. With the recent update from one of the movie franchise producers, Jerry Bruckheimer, it’s obvious the delay has been caused by the studio’s unwillingness to continue with production.
However, Disney recently released a new television series on its Disney+ network. National Treasure: Edge of History was officially released on December 14, 2022, with an entirely new cast. Jerry Bruckheimer is brought in as one of the series’ executive producers. With a relative series back on the air, fans of the movie have been itching for an update.
In an interview with E! News about the new Disney+ spin-off series of National Treasure, Jerry Bruckheimer accidentally dropped an update on what has been going on with the third installment film of the franchise.
From what we gathered from the update, Disney is very much committed to making the film, and production is underway. According to Bruckheimer,
“We said we’d like to make another National Treasure, and they said, ‘Sure, let’s come up with a new cast.’ At the same time, we were developing National Treasure for the theaters with Nicolas Cage—which we still are. So, that’s ongoing.”
This is good news for all National Treasure lovers as they see Benjamin Franklin Gates do his thing again. It’s been about four years since we got an update for the film’s director and co-producer, Jon Turteltaub. In his 2018 interview with Collider, Turteltaub admitted that the script for the third film was ready in 2017. According to Turteltaub, the delay resulted from a lack of funding.
If we’re to put the pieces of information together, fans should expect the trailer for National Treasure 3 sooner than expected.
Jerry Bruckheimer teases Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow reprise
credit: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
If we’re to go with Jerry Bruckheimer’s teases these past few weeks, it means there’s a lot to expect from Disney shortly. In his interview with AP Entertainment, the actor mentioned that he’s willing and open to having Johnny Depp reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow again.
If you recall, Disney ended the actor’s contract after a UK court awarded a verdict in favor of Heard’s domestic violence case. Since then, there have been rumors of casting Margot Robbie in the Pirates franchise and going with a younger Jack Sparrow.
However, during the trial, Johnny Depp mentioned his willingness to return if offered $300 million and a million alpacas. We know he’s got a close relationship with Jerry Bruckheimer, so convincing him to get on board with realistic pay shouldn’t be that hard. Disney has a lot to handle in the case of the million alpacas.
Will National Treasure 3 be a Box Office hit?
Credit: National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Unless we somehow manage to get our hands on a time machine, there are no absolutes when it comes to Box Office earnings. But an excellent way to predict the future is by understanding the past. When the first National Treasure movie was released in 2004, it earned $11 million on its opening day in the United States alone. Overall, the movie grossed $347.5 million on a $100 million budget.
Its sequel was proof that the franchise had picked up a significant fanbase. Its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, set another franchise standard. With a budget of $130 million, the film grossed $459.2 million at the Box Office.
If that’s not enough reason for success, it’s easy to look at the success of sequels released in recent times that had a long break from the last film. Avatar: The Way of Water may be an overreaching comparison since James Cameron is in a world of his own, but sequels like Scream and Top Gun: Maverick gives hope of possible success.
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