Over the past few years, there has been much talk about a potential third film in the “National Treasure” franchise, especially in the build-up to the launch of the Disney+ Original series “National Treasure: Edge Of History.”

In the original film, Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicolas Cage, is obsessed with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure, the greatest fortune known to man. As Gates tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it, he’s dogged by a ruthless enemy (Sean Bean) who wants the riches for himself. Now in a race against time, Gates must steal one of America’s most sacred and guarded documents — the Declaration of Independence — or let it, and a key clue to the mystery, fall into dangerous hands.

Back in 2022, during the promotion of the digital release of “Top Gun: Maverick”, the Disney+ series producer Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed that a script for “National Treasure 3” had been written, and that they were waiting on Nicolas Cage to approve it.  

There were lots of rumours that Nicholas Cage made a debut in the Disney+ series, which he didn’t, though Justin Bartha and Harvey Keitel both returned to play their roles in the franchise.

During a recent promotional tour for his new sci-fi horror movie, “Arcadian“, Nicholas Cage was asked by ScreenRant for an update on a third “National Treasure” film, to which he gave a very blunt response to:

Here we go! See, you’re the one that brings these things up and they go out and they eclipse everything else. No, there is no National Treasure 3. If you want to find treasure, don’t look at Disney, okay? It’s not there.

There is little doubt that Nicholas’s response to the question seemed very frustrated. Unfortunately, during press tours, it’s common for interviewees to ask about other projects they might be working on, which are often part of a most popular franchise that usually gets more attention and completely overshadows the new project they want to promote.  It looks like Nicholas Cage had none of it, yet ironically, it also got more attention on a potential third film.  It’s also interesting how Nicholas Cage seems to have a dig at Disney in the process as well. 

It’s unclear if Nicholas Cage is willing to return to the role of Benjamin Franklin Gates at any time in the future after the Disney+ series failed to capture an audience, resulting in its cancellation after one season.

The first two National Treasure films and the Disney+ Original series, “National Treasure: Edge Of History” series are available to stream now on Disney+.

Would you be interested in a third “National Treasure” film?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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