National Treasure 3 has been confirmed. Director Jon Turteltaub announced the third installment of the Disney adventure franchise at a live recording of the National Treasure Hunt podcast in Philadelphia on August 22, 2026.
"It's happening," Turteltaub told the audience. "It's finally real. Now, it's 'Hollywood real,' meaning things can happen." On the script: "Finally have a script that I like," he added, confirming that Disney has approved the project.
Nicolas Cage returns as Benjamin Franklin Gates, the patriotic adventurer who decoded secrets hidden across American history in the first two films. On the cast, Turteltaub said: "To whatever extent we can, everyone's back."
The original National Treasure arrived in 2004; its sequel, Book of Secrets, followed in 2007. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer had suggested the project was gaining traction as recently as late 2025, but Saturday's podcast announcement is the first public confirmation of a finished, Disney-approved script and active development.
The caveat is embedded in the announcement itself. "Hollywood real, meaning things can happen" is a soft hedge against the realities of development. But for a franchise that spent nearly two decades in holding, an approved script and a willing director represent more forward motion than anything National Treasure has seen in 19 years.