Nicolas Cage Seemingly Rules out Making ‘National Treasure 3’

Nicolas Cage might be done with the National Treasure franchise. National Treasure 3 has been long in development, with rumors stoking higher than ever over the past 18 months. However, in a new interview with Variety, Cage seemingly ruled out a return to the franchise. Cage was discussing Rob, the character he plays in his acclaimed new movie Pig. Rob is a former famed chef who leaves his success behind to live in the wilderness. Cage compared Rob’s journey to his own, saying he’s unsure if he wants to make Disney movies again.

“I do feel that I’ve gone into my own wilderness and that I’ve left the small town that is Hollywood,” Cage said. “I don’t know exactly why Rob left his stardom. It’s never fully explained, and I like that about the movie. But as for me, I don’t know if I’d want to go back. I don’t know if I’d want to go and make another Disney movie. It would be terrifying. It’s a whole different climate. There’s a lot of fear there.”

Walt Disney Pictures produced both National Treasure (2004) and its 2007 sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and the franchise still lies with Disney to this day. Cage also notably starred in two other Disney movies, 2010’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and 2009’s G-Force. However, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was not a franchise starter, and G-Force was a simple voice role, the type of major studio role Cage still plays (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Croods).

National Treasure 3 has long been in the works, with a big update coming in January 2020. Screenwriter Chris Bremner best known for writing 2020’s Bad Boys for Life, was hired to write the script, but no major updates have surfaced in the time since. Meanwhile, Disney is taking the franchise into the episodic space. A 10-episode TV show is on the way, with a new lead character. It’s unclear what ties — if any — this show will have with the two National Treasure movies.