Now You See Me 3: Everything We Know So Far About The Next Four Horsemen Heist

Way back in the distant past of 2013, four magicians arrived on the screen. They weren't quite magical in the "Harry Potter" sense (though their tricks often veer into the realm of the impossible), but they did spark a sense of wonder and fun. "Now You See Me" got a pretty lukewarm reception from critics, but was popular enough with audiences to inspire an even bigger, more magical sequel. And now the saga continues.  

The films follow a team of magicians who call themselves the "Four Horsemen," and use their magician specialties to be the Robin Hoods of society. Together, they pull off bank heists and robberies during performances to reward their audiences with money stolen from the rich. The first film sees an FBI agent and Interpol detective trying to track them down, while the sequel sends the team to Macau, China, where a devious tech wizard uses their abilities for his own gain. Since its release in 2016, a third movie in the franchise has been announced. If you're excited to have more magic in our life, here's all you need to know!

Everyone loves a good heist. Assembling the forces, plotting out an impossible plan, traversing many obstacles and somehow succeeding — that structure never gets old. And "Now You See Me" injected an extra element into the setup: magic. So the safest guess is that the third movie will follow in the footsteps of the last: the Horseman doing what they do best. The team will have their sights set on another big jackpot, another awful billionaire who needs to be put in their place. So they'll steal big and win big, as usual. But then again, the creative team behind the franchise had indicated that things could shake up even more than we expect. In the film's official announcement, Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group said:

"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 (Warren Singer) and his team of illusionists have something special up their sleeve for this new film."

The second film ended with Mark Ruffalo's Dylan leading the Horsemen to the Eye, the secret society of magicians from which they first took their orders. So as Kahane indicates, the third film would likely expand on the world of magicians, the established secret society, and the way our four heroes fit into it. Their heist days might be behind them, as they set their sights on fitting into the magic community. The third film is also expected to open the world up further and explore a new set of characters.

"Now You See Me 3" was first announced in 2016, immediately following the release of the first film's sequel. At the time, the plan was for the main cast to reprise their roles — meaning the return of Jesse Eisenberg as arrogant illusionist Danny Atlas, Woody Harrelson as hypnotist Merritt McKinney, Dave Franco as sleight-of-hand specialist Jack Wilder, and Mark Ruffalo as former FBI agent and leader of the gang, Dylan Rhodes. The first film also starred Isla Fisher as escape artist Henley Reeves but the second introduced Lizzy Caplan in her place, as new member Lula May, since Fisher didn't return.

But while the cast may have been open to returning riding the wave of the sequel's success, a few years have passed, new projects have cropped up and the possibility of their return is more open ended. The third film is said to expand the world in a way that introduces a "new generation of characters" but leaves opportunities for original cast members to return. Back in 2016, Benedict Cumberbatch was rumored to join the cast of "Now You See Me 3," so if he's still set to star in the film (a big "if," given his Marvel commitments and increasingly busy schedule), Cumberbatch could possibly be one of the newly introduced magicians.

Neil Widener and Gavin James were first tapped as the writers of "Now You See Me 3," but following that, there was relative radio silence surrounding the film's development. More recently, in 2020, Lionsgate announced a new screenwriter: Oscar nominee Eric Warren Singer, the writer behind "American Hustle," "Only The Brave," and the box office smash-hit 'Top Gun: Maverick." The company indicated a fresh take from Singer and an entirely new script. With the official announcement, 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."

Our most concrete update came in September of 2022, when it was announced that "Uncharted," "Venom," and "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer had stepped up to helm the threequel, replacing original director Jon M. Chu. Along with the directing news, it was revealed that Seth Grahame-Smith ("Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," "The LEGO Batman Movie") had been tapped to write the latest draft of the script. Fleischer released the following statement to celebrate the news:

"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 the 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."

Unfortunately, this remains a mystery. No release date for "Now You See Me 3" has been announced, but the script has been in development for the past few years. The third movie in the franchise was first announced back in 2016, when "Now You See Me 2" was released.