Disney amusement parks are the main reason to cancel the National Treasure 2 movie’s sequel in the past, says Disney production executive.
Disney’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets debuted back in 2007. The sequel to 2004’s National Treasure reunited director Jon Turtletaub with stars Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, and Harvey Keitel.
National Treasure: Disney’s Gold
National Treasure franchise movies are regarded as classics in the treasure hunt movie genre. The two films, National Treasure 1 and 2, received well because of their elaborate storyline and fast-paced action sequences. It had a stellar cast such as Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, and Ed Harris.
The first movie came to the silver screen in 2004. It made 347 million dollars collection worldwide. As a result, National Treasure 2 came to screens in 2007. The second movie, too, garnered commercial success and amassed 457 million dollars worldwide.
As soon as the second movie proved successful, the producers were keen to make a sequel, but time had other plans. The production executive for the Disney franchise, Jason Reed, admitted that he tried his best to make a sequel after the second movie. Reed stated that he was very interested in making the third movie, but Disney’s officials did not see an opportunity to cash it. They were worried that they did not see a chance to incorporate them into Disney parks.
Disney parks are mega amusement parks to create fictional movie locations in the real world. Disney group manages the gardens and has found success with them. They generated a whopping amount of 26.7 billion US dollars from its amusement parks in 2019. These Disney parks include famous locations from movie franchises such as Marvel, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean.
The dilemma of Disney
Jason Reed admitted that the executives did not want to develop the franchise outside the movie department, in movie parks. So, the plans for the sequel did not find the light, despite their success. The franchise could be adapted into parks, with historical sets and treasure hunt set-ups, considering Disney’s past success with such experiments.
There needs to be a 'National Treasure' sequel (yes, another one) and here's why: http://t.co/rHoNADc7ne
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 17, 2014
The fans of the movies have been asking the producer Jerry Bruckheimer for plans for the sequel. He told them the story for the sequel was in process. In 2020 January, Chris Bremner, screenwriter of Bad Boys For Life, came into the crew. His inclusion sparked the hype around the third part. Fans expect the original cast to return for the sequel, with some new faces. In May 2020, Jerry Bruckheimer also released a plan for a Disney+ TV show. The show will move around the theme, with a younger cast.
The crew is tweaking the script for Disney and will get approval soon. Chris Bremner requires much more time, as he is also writing a script for Bad Boys 4. Soon, we can expect a formal release date and announcements from the team.
Image courtesy of Jerome LABOUYRIE/Shutterstock