Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, and Justice Smith as Charlie in Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. Photo Credit: Katalin Vermes
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t marks the dazzling return of the Four Horsemen in the third instalment of Lionsgate’s high-octane heist-meets-magic franchise. Renowned filmmaker Ruben Fleischer, known for blockbuster action hits, takes the helm, for which he immediately saw a myriad of opportunities.
“There’s something about magic that generates a feeling of wonder and awe that I absolutely love,” he explains. “It’s about not knowing how something is done and being amazed by it. I’ve been going to magic shows for a long time, and the opportunity to bring that wonder and enjoyment to a new movie in this franchise was irresistible.”
This new exhilarating chapter in the global motion-picture franchise is for longtime fans and for brand-new audiences discovering the magic for the first time. The Horsemen receive a new message from The Eye — the secretive global society of magicians dedicated to stealing from the rich to give to the poor — and take on their biggest heist yet on the world stage. The story crisscrosses the globe, from New York, France, and Antwerp to South Africa, the Arabian Desert, and Abu Dhabi, as the magicians evade capture while plotting to extricate a priceless jewel from a corrupt diamond magnate engaged in blood money laundering and market manipulation.
The stakes and scale, scope and spectacle have never been higher. Everything that disappears … reappears … bigger, bolder, and more mind-blowing than ever.
Since the Horsemen disappeared from public view ten years ago — as suddenly as one of their jaw-dropping illusions — a trio of young magicians has been following in their path. While life may have presented them with some harsh realities, Charlie (Justice Smith), June (Ariana Greenblatt), and Bosco (Dominic Sessa) have found comfort, thrill, and survival through magic. A skilled pickpocket even the Artful Dodger could admire, June is the team’s fearless firecracker, possessing a sometimes dry and dark humour, she combines with her own brand of energy. June is skilled in parkour and is an accomplished martial artist — and always fiercely loyal to the new band of Horsemen.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is directed by Ruben Fleischer, screenplay is by Michael Lesslie and Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese and Seth Grahame-Smith; the story is by Eric Warren Singer and Michael Lesslie; based on characters created by Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt.
The Now You See Me franchise began with the 2013 film directed by Louis Leterrier.
Diamonds. Magic. Glamour. Race cars. Heists. Impossible escapes. A whirlwind journey from historic Europe to the futuristic city of Abu Dhabi. These are just some of the high-octane, high-glamour ingredients of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, in which the legendary Horsemen return, with three intrepid new partners, to prove that the world still craves magic.
According to Fleischer, the ultimate way to experience that ride is in cinemas. “This is absolutely a movie that you must see in theaters, because of the scale and spectacle,” he comments. “This is not small-screen stuff. We have movie stars, epic locations, huge set pieces, and authentic magic. Now You See Me: Now You Don’tnot only deserves to be seen in theaters, it needs to be experienced in theaters to get the full experience.”
You don’t have to have seen the first two movies to love this one. It stands on its own while carrying all the magic, action, and fun fans already adore. As Ariana Greenblatt shares: “You could see how much fun we genuinely had every single day through the screen. If you hadn‘t seen Now You See Me and Now You See Me 2, you‘re in for a refreshing, fun, exciting treat. And it‘s going to make you want to watch the first two. And then watch the third one again for safekeeping.”
For Jesse Eisenberg, the film represents the culmination of a singular kind of world-building, in which magicians “band together to use their skillsets to create real world magic and real justice. I’ve loved this world so much.”
“The movie pulls the rug out from under you, the audience, in a way that brings you along for the ride. The things it celebrates are cleverness, limitless imagination, and teamwork.”
Producer Bobby Cohen sums it up, noting that the new chapter pushes the franchise further: “We’re giving audiences everything they love about the Now You See Me world—the spectacle, chemistry, illusions, international locations—but bigger, bolder, and without relying on visual effects. With Dominic, Ariana, and Justice, we’ve found a new generation of Horsemen worthy of the franchise, pushing it to new heights alongside our returning Horsemen. The alchemy just works. And honestly, I think we’ve made the best one yet.”
Ruben Fleischer is an American director and producer known for his kinetic, genre-blending style and sharp comedic instincts. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1974, Fleischer studied history at Wesleyan University before pivoting to filmmaking, cutting his teeth on music videos and commercials. He broke out with Zombieland (2009), a horror-comedy that became a cult hit and showcased his flair for balancing gore with wit. His subsequent films include 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and the box office smash Venom (2018), which expanded his reach into superhero territory. Fleischer’s work often features ensemble casts, stylized action, and a playful tone that masks deeper emotional undercurrents. In Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025), he brings his signature energy to the illusionist heist franchise, steering it into more emotionally resonant and visually daring territory.
Seth Grahame-Smith As a screenwriter and producer, his movies have grossed nearly $2.5 billion at the box office, ranging from family fare like The Lego Batman Movie, to the highest-grossing horror movie of all time, Stephen King’s IT. He’s had the privilege of working with legendary filmmakers like Tim Burton, Ron Howard, and Steven Spielberg. As an author of three New York Times best-selling novels, he’s credited with creating the ‘mash-up’ literary genre with his novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, both of which sold more than two million copies worldwide and went on to become motion pictures. His books have been translated into more than 25 languages.
Michael Lesslie is a screenwriter, playwright, and producer whose projects have won international awards ranging from BAFTAs to Emmys®. His film of Macbeth premiered in Official Competition in Cannes to five-star reviews. His television debut “The Little Drummer Girl,” onwhich he served as showrunner for the legendary director Park Chan-Wook, also launched to five-star reviews, along with top ratings for the BBC. His film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, stayed at number one in the global box office for multiple weeks and successfully relaunched the franchise.His plays have been performed at the Royal National Theatre and beyond, and in 2007 he became the youngest person ever to open a new play straight into the West End. Lesslie’s new projects include a film of Hamlet led by Riz Ahmed. He has also been writing the first-ever X-Men movie for Marvel, bringing the iconic mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now he is developing large-scale film, TV, and theater projects with Netflix, A24, and more.
Lesslie co-founded Storyteller Productions in order to bring bold, global new stories to life. The company’s work includes the News & Documentary Emmy®-winning The Rescue, Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives, and Michael Mann’s Ferrari. Storyteller is due to shoot two feature films in the next year, with more nearing production — including the first major film to be shot in space, to be directed by Doug Liman and to star Tom Cruise.
Writers/Producers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, partners since 2001, wrote and executive-produced Twentieth Century Fox’s Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds. The 2016 superhero action-comedy grossed $783 million at the international box office. Deadpool was nominated for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) at the Golden Globes and won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy. Reese and Wernick also earned a Writers’ Guild nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Reese and Wernick subsequently co-wrote and executive-produced Deadpool 2 and Once Upon a Deadpool, which together outperformed Deadpool at the box office ($785 million). They subsequently completed the trilogy, writing and executive-producing Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel/Disney, grossing over $1.3 billion, making it history’s single highest- grossing R-rated movie.
Reese and Wernick created, wrote, and executive-produced the critically and commercially successful Zombieland franchise, starring Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Jesse Eisenberg. Zombieland and Zombieland 2: Double Tap each earned more than $100 million. Both rank on the short list of highest-grossing zombie movies.
Following Zombieland 2, Reese and Wernick wrote and executive-produced 6 Underground, an original action-adventure for Netflix, directed by Michael Bay and starring Ryan Reynolds. 6 Underground remains one of Netflix’s most-watched originals.
The pair wrote and produced Spiderhead for Netflix, based on the short story by George Saunders, starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller. They also wrote and produced Ghosted, an original for Apple, starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, and most recently produced Eenie Meanie for 20th Century Studios.
Upcoming projects include Balls Up, an original action-comedy written and produced by Reese & Wernick for Amazon Studios, with Peter Farrelly directing and Mark Wahlberg, Paul Walter Hauser, and Sacha Baron Cohen starring, to be released in 2026, and Split Fiction, based on the hit Hazelight video game, starring Sydney Sweeney and to be directed by Jon M. Chu, for Amazon.
Reese’s and Wernick’s past credits include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, starring Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, and Bruce Willis, for Paramount Pictures ($375 million worldwide), and Life, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Rebecca Ferguson, for Sony Pictures.
Reese’s and Wernick’s initial collaboration was in television, creating, writing, and executive-producing “The Joe Schmo Show”for Spike TV. The series drew Spike’s highest-ever ratings. “Joe Schmo”was named to numerous Best Of lists, including TIME Magazine’s Top 10 TV Shows of the year and Entertainment Weekly’s 50 Best TV Shows Ever on DVD. Reese and Wernick followed up with “Joe Schmo 2, 3, & 4”and “Invasion Iowa,” a high-concept comedy hybrid starring William Shatner. They returned to TV in 2019 with “Wayne,” a streaming series for YouTube Premium and Amazon TV. Reese and Wernick currently have “Twisted Metal,”starring Anthony Mackie, based on the PlayStation video game, currently in its second season for Peacock, and “The Continental,” based on the John Wick franchise, also for Peacock. They have several other new film and TV projects in various stages of development.
Prior to teaming up, Reese wrote movies for Pixar Animation Studios (Monsters, Inc.), Walt Disney Feature Animation (Dinosaur), and Warner Brothers (Clifford’s Really Big Movie), among others. Wernick produced several network reality shows. He won three Emmy® Awards for his work in news.
Reese and Wernick met in high school in Phoenix, Arizona. The two were inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2024.
Eric Warren Singer, who conceived the story for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, is an acclaimed screenwriter known for his cerebral thrillers and character-driven narratives. He earned an Oscar nomination for American Hustle (2013), co-written with David O. Russell, and contributed to The International (2009), Only the Brave (2017), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Singer’s work often explores ambition, loyalty, and the cost of truth, making him a fitting architect for a film that dances between illusion and revelation. His story provides the scaffolding for a narrative that is both dazzling and emotionally resonant.
