MOVIE NEWS – The third installment in the Nicolas Cage fan-favourite franchise hasn’t gone underground.

It seems Nicolas Cage’s attachment to his fan-favourite character Benjamin Gates is not over. Nicolas Cage portrayed Benjamin Gates, the treasure hunter, in National Treasure and its sequel, National Treasure: The Book of Secrets. The two films followed his character and his companions as they searched for long-preserved treasures of valuable artifacts and historical importance to the United States. But Ben Gates’ mission to unravel other such mysterious hidden art treasures was interrupted after the second film.

All these years, fans have not refrained from asking Cage and the film’s producers about the future of the franchise, and neither has been able to give a valid answer. The franchise has taken a different direction in the last few years, but Jerry Bruckheimer says the old days are not over.

During an AMA via Top Gun on Reddit, Bruckheimer, who produced both films, answered a fan question about his thoughts on working with Nicolas Cage again. In response to this question, he said:

“Absolutely. I adore Nicolas, he’s a brilliant actor and we’re working on the script of Gold of the Nation 3.”

While this update from him doesn’t lay out any active plans or arrangements for the production of the film, for fans of Cage and fans of National Treasure 3, this is fantastic news. Both films, directed by Jon Turtletaub, have been commercial successes and received well by fans despite mixed reviews. Although the second film ended with a subtle reference to the three sequels, the third film was never made and the franchise continued instead through a prequel series.

Now that Bruckheimer has reiterated that work on a potential script is underway, hopes that Gates and his team-family will return for another adventure skyrocket.

Perhaps there is no better time to return with National Treasure 3

Ever since The Book of Secrets, fans have been flocking to Disney for a third film, but it has never moved forward. In the years following The Book of Secrets, Nicolas Cage’s career also took a downturn, leaving the future of the franchise in limbo. Earlier in 2020, however, there were rumours of a sequel to the franchise, but it was later adapted into a TV series without the original cast returning. Cage also said in an interview that National Treasure is currently out of the question as the studio is pushing for a TV series.

Not that Cage has ever lost the support of his fans, as even during the direct-to-video films, Cage’s performance received little negative feedback. However, Cage has now achieved a new success with films such as The Pig and The Unbearable Weight of Gigantic Talent. But now that he’s back starring in big productions and in the mainstream, it’s perfect timing for him to return with a third film.

Jerry Bruckheimer is the only producer who can make this happen, and given his high regard for Cage, he’s an excellent one to deliver on that promise. The announcement of the nation’s gold will take some time, but Bruckheimer’s promise has put the project in a positive light. And the production may be fast-tracked once the script is completed and ready.

Meanwhile, the TV series National Treasure is in active production, with Justin Bartha returning as a guest star as Riley Poole, known from the series. The series will star Lisette Alexis, Lyndon Smith, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, Jordan Rodrigues and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The series will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+.