Disney Needs National Treasure 3 Far More Than Nicolas Cage Does (Which Explains The Confusing Updates)

Summary Cage says no, Disney says yes. The fate of National Treasure 3 lies in their mismatched hands.

Cage's successful streak means he doesn't need the sequel, while Disney needs a hit.

Will National Treasure 3 happen? Cage's approval is key, but Disney's hope remains high.

It was recently revealed by Jerry Bruckheimer that National Treasure 3 is still in development, which is strange considering that Nicolas Cage recently said the complete opposite, but these mixed signals can actually be explained by the fact that Disney likely needs a National Treasure sequel way more than Cage does. In 2004, Disney released National Treasure, a movie following Nicolas Cage as Ben Gates, a historian searching for a mysterious treasure linked to the Declaration of Independence. Three years later, the movie received a sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Unfortunately, the franchise has been quiet ever since.

While audiences would be excited about National Treasure 3, there are conflicting responses about whether the movie is actually happening. In an interview with Screen Rant, Nicolas Cage said, "there is no National Treasure 3. If you want to find treasure, don't look at Disney, okay? It's not there." Meanwhile, during a chat with MovieWeb, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said of National Treasure 3, "Well, we hope there's a National Treasure 3. We've been working on it for quite a while." With such vastly different responses, it seems that there is a massive disconnect between Cage and Disney at the moment.

Related National Treasure 3: Predicting What's On Page 47 National Treasure 3 may be stuck in development hell, but there are quite a few stories that could be on page 47 of the President's Book of Secrets.

Nicolas Cage's Recent Movie Streak Proves He Doesn't Need National Treasure 3

Nicolas Cage has had several strong performances recently

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One reason why Nicolas Cage could be shrugging off National Treasure 3 while Disney keeps their hopes up is because the actor doesn't really need National Treasure 3. Compared to when National Treasure first came out in 2004, Nicolas Cage doesn't really need any movie to keep his career afloat. By now, he has a reputation and is able to do just about whatever he wants, which may explain the eccentricity of his most recent movies.

In this way, Cage's reputation means that if he doesn't want to do National Treasure 3, he simply won't.

On top of that, Cage's recent additions to his resume are pretty great as well. Notably, Cage has been in quite a few movies in the last several years, and though some of them have been flops, the successful ones far outweigh the disappointments. For example, Cage recently surprised audiences with his A24 film Dream Scenario. Before that, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Pig both earned him high remarks. Therefore, it's not just his reputation, but his success as well, that means he doesn't need National Treasure 3 to happen.

Nicolas Cage's 10 Most Recent Movies Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score Dream Scenario 91% The Retirement Plan 58% Sympathy for the Devil 58% Renfield 58% The Old Way 32% Butcher's Crossing 75% The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent 87% Prisoners of the Ghostland 61% Pig 97% Willy's Wonderland 61%

National Treasure 3 Would Be A Safe Bet For Disney

Disney needs National Treasure 3 after several 2023 flops

Meanwhile, the same cannot be said for Disney. Though Disney is a massive corporation with an undeniable reputation, unlike Nicolas Cage, they need to keep producing movies. Where Cage can retire and go into whatever creative direction he wants, Disney has expectations to meet and audiences that want certain things from them. They cannot stray nearly as far as Cage has. And if Disney disappoints, then audiences can easily turn on them. In this way, they need National Treasure 3. The corporation needs a movie that will cater to audiences' nostalgia, but also interest new, younger audiences.

Furthermore, Disney has not been on the same success streak that Nicolas Cage has been on. Where Cage has had notable successes that outweigh his flops, Disney has not been so lucky. Many of the company's recent films have been critical and audience disappointments. For example, 2023's Wish was an underwhelming release for Disney, despite being a new addition to their successful animated movie catalog. And these failures are not part of just Disney, but its children corporations as well. Lucasfilms' Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Marvel's The Marvels were both 2023 flops.

Disney's 10 Most Recent Movies Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Scores Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever 67% Wish 48% Dashing Through the Snow 35% The Marvels 62% Haunted Mansion 37% Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 70% World's Best 100% Elemental 73% The Little Mermaid 67% Crater 64%

Will National Treasure 3 Ever Happen?

National Treasure 3 depends on Nicolas Cage

Ultimately, whether National Treasure 3 happens hinges on Nicolas Cage. Though Bruckheimer has confirmed that Disney is working on the new movie, it cannot be made unless Cage approves of the script and signs on. Of course, they could simply recast Cage, but this would be a huge risk for the franchise. In this way, National Treasure 3 could certainly happen, but first, Nicolas Cage needs to be impressed and convinced. If Cage is still staunchly against the film after reading the script, then there's a good chance that the film won't happen at all.

Nicolas Cage's next movie is Arcadian, which is coming out on April 12, 2024.

In the end, it would be a good thing for National Treasure 3 to happen. It would give audiences a chance to revisit this beloved franchise, and at the same time, give Disney a chance to recoup the reputation it lost after 2023's disappointments. Nicolas Cage may not need National Treasure 3, but it certainly wouldn't hurt him. Therefore, hopes are high that National Treasure 3 happens in the near future.