Now You See Me 4is a go. The franchise, which kicked off in 2013, follows a group of magicians known as the Four Horsemen who perform audacious Robin Hood-style crimes against the wealthy. The first movie was directed byFast X’s Louis Leterrier, thoughWicked’s Jon M. Chu stepped in for its 2016 sequel andZombieland’s Ruben Fleischer helmed theupcomingNow You See Me: Now You Don’t, which features the return of original cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Mark Ruffalo, and Morgan Freeman.
ScreenRantwas in attendance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson announced during thatRuben Fleischer is attached to develop and directNow You See Me 4. Original developer and producer Bobby Cohen will be returning to produce alongside Secret Hideout’s Alex Kurtzman and Lionsgate’s Meredith Wieck. Fogelson says that “we can’t wait for audiences to discover what he’s done with the third film” and expressed his excitement about working together with the filmmaker on the next installment. Read his full comment, as well as a statement from Fleischer, below:
Adam Fogelson:Ruben has delivered all of the twists and turns and sleight-of-hand that audiences expect from this franchise while upping the stakes and scale in every way. We can’t wait for audiences to discover what he’s done with the third film and thrilled he’ll be making even more magic with us.
Ruben Fleischer:Directing Now You See Me: Now You Don’t was as much fun as making any movie in my career. It combines two of my favorite things—heist movies and magic—and working with this incredible cast was truly magical. Of course I want to keep it going.
What This Means For Now You See Me
Confidence In The Franchise Hasn’t Flagged
Just like aNow You See Memagic trick, this update comes as a major surprise. The news of the fourth installment comesmore than seven full months ahead of the release of the third movie, which is set to debut in theaters on November 14. This would seem to bely the fact that producers are confident that it will connect with audiences in spite of the fact that it arrives nearly a full decade after the second movie.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’tis set to premiere the weekend before another anticipated sequel,Wicked: For Good.
At the time of writing,it is unknown which members of theNow You See Mecast will returnfor the fourth installment. In addition to the returning cast members,Now You Don’tfeatures a robust ensemble that includes Ariana Greenblatt, Justice Smith, Rosamund Pike, andThe HoldoversstarDominic Sessa. While no cast returns are guaranteed, it seems likely that Harrelson will reprise his role as Merritt McKinney, because he has collaborated with Fleischer multiple times in the past, in projects includingVenom,Zombieland,Zombieland: Double Tap, andWhite House Plumbers(which Fleischer executive produced).
Our Take On Now You See Me 4
It Could Make Or Break The Franchise
It may be a risky move to announceNow You See Me 4before the third movie has premiered or even had a trailer debut. While the original movie was a success, grossing $351.7 million against its $75 million budget, the sequel had a more lukewarm reception, grossing $334.9 million against roughly $120 million. While the budget ofNow You Don’thas not been reported, if it has comparable costs,it will most likely need to gross just as much or morein order to avoid potential diminishing returns for the fourth installment forcing the franchise into dormancy yet again.
