And just like that, abracadabra! Now You See Me 3 is back on. Lionsgate announced a second sequel to the illusionist heist franchise in 2015, which was before Now You See Me 2 would even open. It’s taken them some time to set things into motion, but that’s changed now with the hiring of American Hustle and Top Gun: Maverick writer Eric Warren Singer.
Singer has been hired to deliver a fresh take on Now You See Me, one that may combine new and old casts. The first movie starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, and Dave Franco as a team of illusionists who also commit heists, spreading the wealth around like magic Robin Hoods. The sequel added some new faces, such as Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe, while expanding on the Four Horsemen’s backstory. Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) directed the first movie, with Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) on the second. Chu was hired to return for Now You See Me 3, but he’s pretty busy now and who knows if that’s going to stick.
“Eric has always been fascinated with the fine art of deception and illusion in all of it 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,” said Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “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.”
Combined, the two films have earned $687M, which isn’t bad for a homegrown thriller franchise nowadays. It’s easy to see why Lionsgate would want to keep it going, although one hopes Jonathan Bayme and his team of magic consultants at Theory 11 will do more to make the tricks and illusions grander, without the use of so much CGI.
