Director confirms development of National Treasure 3 with Disney-approved script

Director Jon Turteltaub announced that a third installment of the National Treasure franchise is in development, with Disney having approved the screenplay. Turteltaub made the remarks during a live recording of the National Treasure Hunt podcast in Philadelphia, saying he was the first to share the news publicly. He added that the project is now "Hollywood real," implying that production can proceed. The filmmaker, who also directed the 2007 sequel, said the team finally has a script that meets his standards and that Disney considers it viable for a movie. The original 2004 film starred Nicolas Cage as historian Ben Gates, and the series has generated more than $800 million worldwide. Disney+ previously expanded the franchise with the 2022 series National Treasure: Edge of History, featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones.