Summit Entertainment parent company Lionsgate has announced that it will still be adding to the ‘Now You See Me’ movie series with a third film.
Aside from next year’s ‘Now You See Me: The Second Act’, CEO Jon Feltheimer revealed that they have already begun planning for ‘Now You See Me 3.’ He is also anticipating that the second movie will rake in even more than the $350 million total gross of the first installment.
Variety suggests that the creation of a follow-up film could be part of the company’s strategy in coming up with franchises similar to that of ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Twilight.’
The two-part ‘Divergent Series: Allegiant’, a similar franchise based on Veronica Roth’s young-adult dystopian novel series, has already begun filming whereas a sequel to ‘John Wick’ is in the works as well.
Actress Isla Fisher had not been able to join the Four Horsemen in the second ‘Now You See Me’ installment due to her pregnancy. After welcoming her third baby with Sacha Baron Cohen this year, it has been speculated that the 39-year-old actress might reprise her role as illusionist Henley Reeves in ‘Now You See Me 3.’
A year after outsmarting the authorities and winning the public over, thanks to their highly impressive tricks, the Four Horsemen will once again appear in ‘Now You See Me: The Second Act’ only to face a new enemy who calls for the team to carry out their most dangerous performance yet.
Written by Ed Solomon and Pete Chiarelli, actors Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe and Michael Caine are all on board for ‘Now You See Me: The Second Act.’
Helmed by Jon M. Chu, the second installment is set to hit cinemas on June 10, 2016.
Aside from the ‘Now You See Me’ sequels, Feltheimer also mentioned that another franchise could be developed, particularly ‘The Odyssey’ which can be expected to be an epic retelling of Homer’s legendary work.
Francis Lawrence from ‘The Hunger Games’ has been set to direct while Nina Jacobson will produce.
According to Lionsgate motion picture group co-chairman Rob Friedman, the studio’s approach to developing franchises by utilizing international licensing partners and production tax credits can enable ‘The Odyssey’ to be incorporated with high-end special effects at a friendly budget.
"We feel very comfortable that we will be able to bring a fantastic film to the screen with our consistent economic model," Friedman explained.
