NOW YOU SEE ME and its sequel centered around a team of illusionists known as The Horsemen who pull off near impossible heists and mind-bending feats of magic, and development on the third film was underway even before the release of NOW YOU SEE ME 2. It's been some time since we last heard from the magic franchise, but Lionsgate announced today that they've tapped a new writer to pen the next installment of the series.
Eric Warren Singer, best known for AMERICAN HUSTLE, ONLY THE BRAVE, and the upcoming TOP GUN: MAVERICK, is set to write NOW YOU SEE ME 3, which will be based on a fresh take by the writer. It's said that new 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." The original cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, and others, but no casting has been announced for the third film as of yet. In a statement, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Nathan Kahane said:
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.
Jonathan Bayme and his company Theory 11 will serve as magic consultants for NOW YOU SEE ME 3. While I wouldn't count either film among my favourites, they are an awful lot of fun and the cast certainly seem as though they're having a ball, so I'd definitely be down for another installment, especially if they're going to be doing something new.