Nicolas Cage has 3 or 4 movies left in him (and National Treasure 3 won’t be one of them)

Nathan Drake and Lara Croft could be Hollywood’s go-to treasure hunters until someone else comes along because, according to Nicolas Cage, a National Treasure 3 is not happening. Cage played treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates in Disney’s 2004 action-adventure romp, with National Treasure: Book of Secrets mapping a path to theaters in 2007.

Speaking with ScreenRant, Cage said, “No, there is no National Treasure 3. If you want to find treasure, don’t look at Disney, okay? It’s not there.”

Cage’s verbal mousetrap is quite telling of the actor’s tolerance for how Disney conducts its business. Cage’s comment may refer to how Disney fumbled the bag with its sequel series National Treasure: Edge of History. The adventure series starring Lisette Olivera, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, and Catherine Zeta-Jones was canceled after one season despite having ties to the Cage-led feature films.

There’s also a chance that Cage is no longer interested in playing Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure 3 since he could retire any day now. Last year, Cage told Vanity Fair his acting career is “starting to solidify – I’m starting to cement my plan. I may have three or four more movies left in me.I do feel I’ve said what I’ve had to say with cinema. I think I took film performance as far as I could.”

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Cage says he “wants to go out on a high note,” and spending time with his 18-month-old daughter is a priority. He also has concerns regarding how long he’ll be around. Cage’s father passed away at 75, and Cage is 60. He figures he’s got 15 good years left before things take a turn and wants to take time to bask in his accomplishments and legacy. In addition to spending time with his daughter, he wants to read a book a week, which sounds like a damn fine way to spend your Golden Years.

What do you think about Cage shooting down hopes for a National Treasure 3? If he’s soon to retire, what type of movies would you like to see him make? Will Cage pull a Hayao Miyazaki and repeatedly come out of retirement for the right project? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.