Ruben Fleischer has been hired by Lionsgate to film Now You See Me 3, making him the third director for the franchise. He’ll also be in charge of having Seth Grahame-Smith draught the newest version of the screenplay (The Lego Batman Movie). Over the course of his career, Fleischer has been instrumental in giving life to a number of critically acclaimed films, including Zombieland (2009) and its follow-up, Zombieland: Double Tap. The most recent film he directed starring Tom Holland and made over $400 million globally. Also, he was the director and executive producer of Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($850 million worldwide).
While Fleischer is most known for his work in movies (both as a filmmaker and a producer), he has also directed episodes of television (such as NBC’s Superstore). His diverse body of work makes him an excellent pick for the third instalment of the “Now You See Me” series. The first Now You See Me film came out in 2013, and it told the story of a group of skilled illusionists known as The Four Horseman, whose impressive shows send the FBI and Interpol on a chase to not only discover how the illusions are done, but also to stop the group before they cause any more chaos.
In the sequel, titled “Now You See Me 2,” the team gets back together (with a new member replacing the one who left) to expose the unscrupulous actions of a prominent technological genius named Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe). The gang was coerced into producing and presenting one of their most daring illusions to date, and they had no choice in the matter.
Cast members shared across the two films include Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Jesse Eisenberg.
Lizzy Caplan took up for Isla Fisher as the fourth Horseman after Fisher was cut from the sequel. The original screenplay was written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt, and Louis Leterrier helmed the film. For the sequel, Peter Chiarelli wrote the script and Jon M. Chu was in charge of the filmmaking.
Fleischer said to Deadline about the next film, “Just three things in this world have my undying affection: Magic, Woody Harrelson, and Jesse Eisenberg. It’s a dream come true to get to work with these two amazing performers, not to mention the rest of the phenomenal ensemble of the “Now You See Me” films. I’ve always been fascinated by movies about robberies because of the suspense and unexpected turns they often take. When the thieves are also magicians, the possibilities expand even more. I’m eager to go more into this film and these interesting new people that Eric helped me discover.”
Producers for the third film include Bobby Cohen and Alex Kurtzman, who worked together on the film Secret Hideout. Lionsgate’s Meredith Wieck and Chisom Ude are in charge of it. There has been no official word on whether or not any of the original cast will be returning at this time. There is currently no set date for the release of Now You See Me 3.