Lionsgate is not messing around, people. In 2013, the magical caper NOW YOU SEE ME went on to gross $350 million worldwide and a sequel was soon greenlit. NOW YOU SEE ME: THE SECOND ACT isn't even set to hit theaters for another year but that is not stopping the studio from beginning development on a third film in the franchise. Variety reports that Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer divulged plans for the third film during a recent conference call.
Lionsgate is counting on the stellar cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Daniel Radcliffe, Lizzy Caplan and Michael Caine to outperform the first film. The Jon Chu directed sequel recently wrapped filming but it remains to be seen which cast members will return for the third movie.
With the TWILIGHT saga complete and THE HUNGER GAMES wrapping up, Lionsgate is looking for new franchises to expand. They recently announced JOHN WICK 2 and are developing a potential franchise based on Homer's The Odyssey and The Iliad. Hollywood studios are increasingly focused on multi-film and platform franchises to be viable in the marketplace. The only concern is whether these movies all need sequels or not.
NOW YOU SEE ME: THE SECOND ACT is slated for release on June 10, 2016.