Lionsgate Entertainment is so confident in their “Now You See Me” franchise that it has begun producing “Now You See Me 3” even before the release of the 2nd film.
Jon Feltheimer, CEO of the production studio, revealed plans to develop the 3rd instalment of the successful franchise during a conference call with industry experts. The gathering, which was held last Friday (22nd May) served to discuss the company’s quarterly earning. The executive officer stated, “We’ve already begun early planning for “Now You See Me 3″.”
In the same conference call, he said that the production for the 2nd instalment of the series, titled “Now You See Me: The Second Act“, has ended recently, though he did not disclose a specific date. Feltheimer is also hopeful that the sequel will exceed the earnings of the original caper thriller film.
The announcement of the trilogy came as Lionsgate made public the fact that it will focus on building franchises, especially when franchises like “Twilight“, “The Expendables “, and “Hunger Games” have been doing exceptionally well at the box office.
Released in 2013, “Now You See Me” received mixed reviews from critics, but was generally well-received by the general audience. It was also a box office success, grossing $351,723,989 despite only having a budget of $75 million.
Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine were featured in the movie. All of them will be reprising their roles in the sequel, with the exception of Fisher as she was pregnant during principal photography. Lizzy Caplan is replacing her as the female lead, but in a different role instead.
Daniel Radcliffe and Jay Chou have also joined the cast as the son of insurance magnate Arthur Tressler and Li respectively. No additional details regarding Chou’s character were revealed.
Jon M. Chu is taking over the role of director from Louis Leterrier (who directed the first movie), based on a script written by Ed Solomon and Pete Chiarelli. Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Bobby Cohen are producing.
“Now You See Me: The Second Act” is slated for cinematic release on 10th June 2016.
Source: Variety
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