Now You See Me 4 Gets First Writing Update After Record-Breaking 2025 Return

EXCLUSIVE: Dave Franco assures that Now You See Me 4 is making progress.

After a near-decade-long hiatus, the hit magician-centric heist franchise returned in late 2025 with Now You See Me: Now You Don't, which saw the original Four Horsemen back and training a new group of up-and-coming magicians to target a corrupt diamond company owner. Prior to the threequel's release, it was confirmed that a fourth installment was already in development, with Ruben Fleischer also set to return as director after Now You Don't.

Now, in an interview with ScreenRant's Tatiana Hullender for his new dark crime comedy, Idiots, Dave Franco offered a brief update on Now You See Me 4. When he and co-star O'Shea Jackson Jr. were asked which film audiences would see first, Den of Thieves 3 or the heist action fourquel, Franco chuckled as he expressed that "Now You 4 Me" will arrive first, confirming that "they're writing [it] right now!"

As Jackson Jr. shared his own update on Den of Thieves 3, namely confirming that the fellow heist sequel won't take place in Japan, despite Franco's pitch, both stars humorously teased their thoughts on a crossover between both franchises, with the former expressing they could mix "a little magic" and "a little heist." Their Idiots co-star Mason Thames laughed as he further pitched that the end of the crossover could feature "Toothless swoop[ing] down," referring to his own hit How to Train Your Dragon live-action films.

Though a fairly broad update for the sequel, Franco's confirmation that writing is currently underway on Now You See Me 4 marks the best update the movie has had yet. Fleischer confirmed closer to Now You Don't's release that the film was still in the writing process, albeit what stage, be it ideation or proper writing, was unclear. As such, with the unspecified writer or writers of the next movie at least putting words to the script, it does put it on a quicker return track than its predecessor.

Even still, it's understandable if Lionsgate elects to take some extra time putting together Now You See Me 4's script before getting filming underway. While not an outright hit, Now You Don't set a new record for the franchise as the best-reviewed installment in the magician-centric heist franchise, currently holding a 61% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, fairly above the first movie's 51% score, and the sequel's more underwhelming 33% score.

On the flip side, Now You See Me: Now You Don't also seemed to showcase some franchise fatigue on the part of viewers when it came to the box office. It scored the lowest opening weekend haul of just $21 million, and closed out its theatrical run with just over $213 million worldwide. While a solid haul compared to its $90 million production budget, it's still the lowest in the franchise, well below the first movie's $351.7 million haul and the second's $334.9 million gross.

With Franco confident that Now You See Me 4 will arrive before Den of Thieves 3, there is a very strong chance that the writing process is already further along than some might think. Given over a year has passed since its confirmation, it's likely the drafts are getting closer to being finalized, and while its star-studded cast have plenty on the horizon, they could get started filming sometime in early 2027.