Jason Reed, who was the franchise’s production executive at Disney, admitted he tried his “damnedest” to get National Treasure 3 off the ground soon after the 2007 second film made the studio an impressive $459 million at the worldwide box office. However, it hit a roadblock due to Disney not being able to capitalize on National Treasure in the ways that Pirates of the Caribbean and the Marvel Cinematic Universe could, and therefore was brushed aside. In Reed’s words:
