Lionsgate is going ahead with Now You See Me 3, the next film in their star-studded magician franchise. Now You See Me came out in 2013 and followed several magicians as they commit robberies and evade law enforcement. It featured an impressive cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, and Isla Fisher. Though not universally acclaimed by critics, the movie was nevertheless a box office success. It also did well enough to warrant a sequel, Now You See Me 2, in 2016.
However, Now You See Me 3 has been in development since 2015, well before the second film’s release. By 2016, the film’s director, Jon M. Chu, was back on board, with writers Neil Widener and Gavin James set to complete the script. However, since then, there has been little news in way of the third film. This is especially surprising, considering the first two movies did well for Lionsgate. However, now, nearly four years later, the studio is moving forward with plans for Now You See Me 3.
Today, Lionsgate announced it’s hired Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle) to write the script, which will be based on a new idea from him. The studio also revealed the cast for the upcoming movie is still to be determined. However, Lionsgate reassured fans that “Singer’s fresh take will capture the fun, magic, and spirit of the original, introducing new characters into the world while also creating opportunities for the original cast to reprise their roles.” Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said the following about Now You See Me 3:
Eric has always been fascinated with the fine art of deception and illusion in all of its forms and he came to us with a great story that takes the mythology of Now You See Me and pushes The Four Horsemen to a whole new level with our key returning cast and new characters. The Now You See Me franchise has been built on keeping the audience surprised and guessing. Any great magician knows, you can’t keep doing the same tricks. And Eric and his team of illusionists have something special up their sleeve for this new film.
Though film franchises sometimes release several movies in a row without interruption, there is a precedent for a long wait between a sequel and third film. Guardians of the Galaxy, for instance, released Vol 1. and 2 within three years. However, Vol. 3 doesn’t even have a release date yet and likely won’t come out for another three years. Disney’s popular National Treasure franchise has had an even longer gap between its second and third films. The sequel came out back in 2007, but the third film has been in various stages of development for over a decade. Earlier this year, a new writer was hired for the project, perhaps indicating National Treasure 3 could be on the way.
Fans of the first two Now You See Me movies should be excited about this update. This is especially true since it’s been so long since there was any news about the third film. It makes sense that Lionsgate isn’t announcing any cast at this time, and it doesn’t necessarily mean some favorites won’t return. Eisenberg, Ruffalo, and Harrelson all participated in the sequel and could be just as interested in Now You See Me 3.
