The Now You See Me franchise doesn’t mess around—today Lionsgate splashed out for a Times Square billboard countdown and gave out a bunch of cash prizes, all leading up to the Now You See Me: Now You Don’t trailer. It might seem like overkill for these quirky magic movies, but the little franchise that could has always punched above its weight. The threequel is even more star-studded than ever, adding Rosamund Pike, Dominic Sessa, Justice Smith, and Ariana Greenblatt to its already impressive ensemble cast.
According to the film’s synopsis, “The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film.” The Now You See Me: Now You Don’t trailer disbands, and then reunites with, the original Four Horsemen, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco. (Lizzy Caplan’s character filled in for an absent Isla Fisher in the sequel, but she doesn’t seem to be along for this caper.) Also returning is Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley, who once again brings everybody together to take down Rosamund Pike’s criminal enterprise.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t also reunites Harrelson and Eisenberg with their Zombieland collaborators, director Rueben Fleischer and writers Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese (who share screenplay credits with Seth Grahame-Smith and Michael Lesslie). “It’s unbelievable. The cast is amazing. The story is so fun and complicated in a really fun puzzle way. It’s just a pleasure to be in these movies,” Eisenberg previously told Entertainment Tonight.
Lucky thing he likes it so much, because Lionsgate is moving ahead with a fourth film. “We were so happy with the director’s cut, we’re already developing the next chapter. 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,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said at CinemaCon (via Variety). Fleischer, who has been tapped to return, added, “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.” In the meantime, you can see Now You See Me: Now You Don’t in theaters November 14.
