Have you missed seeing a team of magicians pull off high-stakes heists with their skills of illusion and deception. Well, good news: Now You See Me 3 is still happening! Yes, there hasn’t been a lot of updates about the threequel since Now You See Me 2 came out in 2016, but the upcoming movie has taken a major step forward by bringing in the man who helmed 2018’s Venom.
Lionsgate has tapped Ruben Fleischer to direct Now You See Me 3, which will reunite audiences with the Four Horsemen, the team of magicians who use their act as cover to pull off intricate robberies. Along with Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson respectively reprising Danny Atlas, a.k.a. The Lover, and Merritt McKinney, a.k.a. The Hermit, the third movie will introduce audiences “to a new generation of characters.” Additionally, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Seth Grahame-Smith is working on a new draft of the screenplay with Flesicher; the previous draft was penned by Top Gun: Maverick’s Eric Warren Singer. Fleischer said the following about coming aboard Now You See Me 3:
There are three things in this world I absolutely love… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and magic. To have the chance to work with these two talented actors, as well as rest of the incredible cast of the Now You See Me movies is a dream come true. I am a lifelong fan of heist movies – I love getting drawn in by the twists and the mystery where nothing is what it seems. And that’s even more true when the thieves are magicians – the opportunities are endless. Eric was able to unlock a fresh and exciting way into a new movie and fun new characters, so I’m excited to dig in even further.
There was no mention in the Now You See Me 3 announcement if Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman or Michael Caine, all of whom appeared in the first two Now You See Me movies, will be back for the third installment, nor Lizzy Caplan, who replaced Isla Fisher’s character in the sequel. Ruben Fleischer mentioning the “rest of the incredible cast” could suggest some, if not all of them will reprise their respective roles. However, the highlighting of new characters coming in might suggest that Now You See Me 3 might serve as a passing of the torch to a new generation of magicians, whether they take over the Four Horsemen or are a different group affiliated with the secret society known as the Eye.
Either way, Now You See Me 3 gives Ruben Fleischer the opportunity to reunite with Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, with the three men having previously worked together on the Zombieland movies. Along with the aforementioned Venom, Fleischer has also helmed 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad and Uncharted, the latter of which impressed at the box office earlier this year by grossing $400 million worldwide. Louis Letterrier directed the first Now You See Me, and John M. Chu tackled the sequel. Bobby Cohen and Alex Kurtzman are producing Now You See Me 3, and Meredith Wieck and Chisom Ude are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.
There’s no word yet on when Now You See Me 3 will begin production or when Lionsgate intends to release it, but CinemaBlend will share that information and any other major updates once they’re in. For now, there are plenty of 2022 movies left to look forward to, as well as all of the 2023 movies to mark down on your calendar.