It's somewhat funny that the third movie in the franchise is called Now You See Me: Now You Don't. It's a simple name that should have been used earlier, and it almost was.
Speaking to ClutchPoints, producer Bobby Cohen revealed that the Now You Don't subtitle was an idea dating back to the second movie, which was instead titled Now You See Me 2.
“When we were fortunate to make a second one, [we] said, ‘We gotta call this Now You See Me: Now You Don't,'” Cohen said. “Nw, the wizards of marketing said, ‘When you are lucky enough to make a movie where the title sticks in people's minds, you do not change it.'”
So, that is why the second one was titled as it was. Once they were given the green light to make a third, the title was a no-brainer. However, to get their message across to the higher-ups at Lionsgate, Cohen and director Ruben Fleischer needed to use some “mentalism” like Woody Harrelson in the movies. They wrote “Now You See Me: Now You Don't” on everything, from the email subject line to the call sheet.
“The slate on every shot of every daily that the studio sees said, ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don't,'” Cohen recalled. “Then, in our bit of mentalism, the studio was like, ‘You know what? We think that's a pretty good idea.'”
The rest is history. Their best impression of Harrelson in the movies helped them get their way. “Clearly, our mentalism worked, and we finally got the title we wanted,” Cohen concluded.
Where do the Now You See Me movie titles go from here?
A fourth movie in the Now You See Me franchise is on the way. However, Now You Don't may be the best subtitle they could come up with. Will they jump back to numbers in a very Fast and Furious-like move? Or do they have something else in mind?
Luckily, we can rule “Now You Four Me” out of the running. However, Cohen promises that they will go back to the drawing board and come up with something clever.
Fleischer slyly added his suggestion. He pitched “Now You See Me: Now You Don't: Now You Do Again.” It may be a little long for marquees, but there's something to work with there.
How did Ruben Fleischer fill the shoes of Louis Leterrier and Jon M. Chu?
Before Fleischer became the third director in as many movies for the Now You See Me franchise, Louis Leterrier and Jon M. Chu helmed the first two installments.
Leterrier is best known for directing the first two Transporter movies and The Incredible Hulk. He's gone on to make Fast X, and he'll make the eventual eleventh installment, should it come to fruition.
Chu, meanwhile, is a hot name at the moment, thanks to his directing the two-part Wicked adaptation. He's also gained notoriety for making In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians.
You may not know Fleischer by name, but he's no stranger to blockbusters. He directed the first Venom and Uncharted movies, working with two of the most notable Toms in Hollywood: Tom Hardy and Tom Holland.
Unlike Leterrier and Chu, though, Fleischer will helm a second Now You See Me movie. Fleischer was a “huge fan” of the past installments, and he “approached it as a fan.”
He knew there were “big shoes to fill,” but he didn't back down. He knew he'd have to make a mark. One way he attempted to do so was not over-relying on CGI.
“For me as a fan, I wanted to make sure all the magic in the film was as grounded as possible and as real as possible and felt very practically like the actors were performing it themselves,” said Fleischer. “I guess grounding the magic and making it as much in-camera as possible was important to me.”
The magic-off
Halfway through Now You See Me: Now You Don't, the magicians have a magic-off. Think of great guitarists having a riff-off. It's the equivalent of Jimi Hendrix going up against Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and The Edge. Jessie Eisenberg and Harrelson get to flex their muscles, while franchise newcomers like Dominic Sessa and Ariana Greenblatt shine as well.
While Fleischer acknowledged that some movie magic was used, he tried to do as much “in-camera” as possible. It's the scene he is “especially proud” of.
“By designing it as a one-er where you get to see trick after trick with no cuts, you know that they have to be doing it for real,” he explained. “I'm not gonna lie; we might have had a little help painting things here or there, adding things here, but for the most part, it's entirely in-camera. And it does play out in real time.”
To perfect the sequence, it took “several months of rehearsal,” and Cohen estimated it took “close to 20” takes to get it right. However, Cohen and the others were impressed with the final product. So, it was worth it.
Is there any fear with Now You See Me returning to theaters?
It's been almost a decade since the last Now You See Me movie came out. Does Cohen have any fear of box office failure due to such an extended break between installments? In short, yes.
“There's fear every time you make a movie,” Cohen conceded. “So, every movie that you make is a miracle. Any movie that works is a miracle. We've all had the experience of making great movies that nobody's seen and having made bad movies that people love. So, you never really know [what audiences will respond to].”
Unlike some cases, the delay wasn't due to a box office failure. Now You See Me 2 made $334 million worldwide, about $17 million less than its predecessor. Ideally, sequels come two or three years later, not nine, but Cohen explained that it “took us a while to come up with the right idea, because we knew we just couldn't make another movie.”
A third installment had to be unique. Fleischer's presence helped expedite the process. He brought the “extra special sauce” that was needed to push Now You See Me: Now You Don't past the finish line.
The biggest difference from the last two movies was the addition of younger stars. Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Ariana Greenblatt play a trio of young magicians. They teamed them up with the Four Horsemen: Danny Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Meritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and a returning Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher).
While the cast is 10 years older (and “still look great”), they can be mentors to the younger cast members. It doesn't have to be spelled out, as the parallels between the old and new guard are obvious.
Balancing the old and new cast
Ultimately, Cohen and Fleischer knew the audience missed the Four Horsemen. Smith, Sessa, and Greenblatt were all fans of the original two Now You See Me movies, just like their characters are fans of the Horsemen.
That translated well to the screen, making Fleischer's job easier. They didn't have to be the forefront of every scene, and Now You See Me: Now You Don't leaves them “as a family with the hope of continuing to tell these stories with all seven or eight of them.”
Filming the movie around the globe created a “summer camp”-like environment. This is a common comparison for filmmakers, but it seemingly rang true for the Now You See Me: Now You Don't cast. “With the kids, it was like they were the kids and the original cast were the camp counselors,” said Cohen.
One fun memory Cohen has is of the young cast craving American mac and cheese. There was a store in Budapest that caters to Americans who live there, and the crew sent someone to buy 50 boxes of Kraft mac and cheese. “That's the greatest thing I did for them in three months of shooting,” Cohen quipped. “They were more appreciative of that than just about anything.”
The younger stars will get their time in the sun. But, for now, the younger cast will remain to be second billing to Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco, and Fisher.
How did Ruben Fleischer decide to come back for the fourth Now You See Me movie?
Fleischer will soon become the only director to helm several Now You See Me movies. This is a huge honor, and it was close to a no-brainer decision once the job was offered.
“I had so much fun making this film,” Fleischer reflected. “I mean, Bobby created something that is just filled with wonder and true magic. Getting to become a part of it was just thrilling.”
Of course, Fleischer's relationship with Eisenberg and Harrelson goes way back to their Zombieland days, and he seems eager to continue it. “If I can continue to work with the two of them for the rest of my career, I'd be very happy,” he said.
His “love” for the franchise that predates his installment is “why I came to it in the first place,” and he is “thrilled to continue to get to make them.”
The call to make a fourth Now You See Me came during the production of Now You Don't, as Cohen recalled. They made their decision quickly.
“Ruben and I just looked at each other and were like, ‘Yes, [we'd love to make another] as soon as possible,'” Cohen remembered. “We've got some ideas that we're cooking up that we're really excited about.”
The best part? Cohen promised it won't be another near-10-year wait. “As soon as we can get eight actors to show up [at] the same time in whatever incredible country we're in, we'll be good to go,” Cohen concluded.
Now You See Me: Now You Don't is in theaters.
