The series of heist thriller films are quite popular for the magic it casts on the audience. The films are very well appreciated and have done extremely well commercially. Even after receiving mixed reviews from the critics, the previous two installments of the series have been received well by the audience. The film series has been written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt, where the screenplay has been done by all three while the story has been delivered by Yakin and Ricourt. The first film titled ‘Now You See Me,’ has been directed by Loui Leterrier. It has been produced by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Bobby Cohen. The film was received well, but the ending was not liked by many viewers. Even so, the film was a huge commercial success.
Following the footsteps of the first film, the second film also received similar kinds of reviews. Some people felt that the second film was not as good and well-knit as the first. It was directed by Jon M. Chu. The screenplay was done by Ed Solomon while the story of the film was delivered by him and Peter Chiarelli. It was also a great commercial success at the box office. The two films in total grossed around 700 million US dollars worldwide.
The first film was released back in 2013 on 21st May in New York City and 31st May in the United States. The second film took around 3 years to release. The development of the film was announced on July 3, 2013. Now You See Me 2 was released on 10th June 2016. In May 2015, Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lions Gate Entertainment, announced that the third installment of the series had entered the planning stage. Eric Warren Singer was announced to be the screenwriter of the third film in April 2020. It was announced that the film would arrive somewhere in 2021. However, looking at the current pandemic situation going on, the release of the film could be delayed further. There has been no official date announced for the release of the third film.
Jesse Eisenberg plays the role of J. Daniel Atlas, a member of four horsemen. Mark Ruffalo can be seen in the role of Dylan Rhodes, the leader of four horsemen and an FBI agent. Woody Harrelson plays the role of Merritt McKinney/ Chase McKinney, the twin brothers specializing in hypnosis who are also a part of four horsemen. Isla Fisher plays the role of Henley Reeves, a magician, also the former assistant and ex-lover of Daniel Atlas.
Other cast members include Dave Franco, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Melanie Laurent, Common, Michael Kelly, Caitriona Balfe, Richard Laing, Woody Harrelson, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Radcliffe, Jay Chou, Sanaa Lathan, and Henry Lloyd Hughes. There is wonderful news for Benedict Cumberbatch fans. He is announced to be an addition to the cast of the third installment of the film series.
