Now You See Me 4 is 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 by Fast X‘s Louis Leterrier, though Wicked‘s Jon M. Chu stepped in for its 2016 sequel and Zombieland‘s Ruben Fleischer helmed the upcoming Now 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.

ScreenRant was in attendance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson announced during that Ruben Fleischer is attached to develop and direct Now 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 a Now You See Me magic trick, this update comes as a major surprise. The news of the fourth installment comes more 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.

At the time of writing, it is unknown which members of the Now You See Me cast will return for the fourth installment. In addition to the returning cast members, Now You Don’t features a robust ensemble that includes Ariana Greenblatt, Justice Smith, Rosamund Pike, and The Holdovers star Dominic 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 including Venom, Zombieland, Zombieland: Double Tap, and White 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 announce Now You See Me 4 before 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 of Now You Don’t has not been reported, if it has comparable costs, it will most likely need to gross just as much or more in order to avoid potential diminishing returns for the fourth installment forcing the franchise into dormancy yet again.

Source: Lionsgate