Don’t be surprised if you see Brian Koppelman and David Levien in the United States history section of Barnes & Noble. The pair who have previously plugged words into Matt Damon‘s word-gorge with Rounders and Ocean’s Thirteen, have stepped in to takeover scripting on National Treasure 3 for Jerry Bruckheimer.

Jon Turtletaub, who directed the previous films and Sorcerer’s Apprentice, is next slated to direct Unreasonable Doubt. It’s unclear if he’s gotten out from underneath the thumb of the National Treasure series or not, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a little Cage-cation.

Koppelman and Levien’s career is also taking off in other directions. They’re also moving ahead with plans to direct Levien’s novel City of the Sun. That story follows the father of a missing paperboy who teams with a private investigator while they search for his son fourteen months after the boy’s disappearance. With the newspaper industry on the ropes it would only make sense that paperboys have to travel farther and farther to make a living. Decent thing would have been for him to call home first though. (via Bleeding Cool)

^{"Doggarnit. People like me."}

It appears that Nicolas Cage’s crappy sequel plate is full. It looks like the cash-strapped actor may be forced to choose between roles.  From Vulture:

Insiders confirm to Vulture that Columbia is facing a ticking clock on the rights to the BBQ-skulled Marvel Comics character: Legally, if the studio isn’t in production on a sequel by November 14, 2010, the franchise automatically reverts to Marvel — which means the comic company’s new owner, Disney.
Insiders tell us that Columbia is asking Marvel for an extension. (Asking, pleading, it’s a fine line.) But time is running out. Cage has spoken about his desire to make a second Ghost Rider; the issue is whether his schedule will be free before the deadline. Disney is also hoping to get him for a third National Treasure with Jerry Bruckheimer, which could be shooting as early as this fall and would presumably earn the star a hefty paycheck. And considering Cage’s well-documented money troubles, that cash may trump his deep love of comic books.

A Ghost Rider without Nicolas Cage wouldn’t feel like a Ghost Rider film at all. That would be like The Punisher without Thomas Jane, or The Hulk without Eric Bana, or Iron Man without Terrence Howard. I can’t even imagine a world where such travesties would be allowed.

It looks like Jerry Bruckheimer has found a kinship with writers Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro. The pair wrote his next two blockbusters, Prince of Persia and The Sorcerer‘s Apprentice, and now he has them on the hook to write a third National Treasure film for director Jon Turteltaub.

When reached for fictional comment, not-real Jerry Bruckheimer had this to say:

"The National Treasure films have always displayed a reckless abandon for all semblance of reality. After seeing how Carlo and Doug laughed in the face of physics and history with their other works, Jon and I knew they were the d-bags for the job. It also helps that they can’t capture the way people actually talk."

No plot specifics have been released yet but we’ll keep you posted on Nicolas Cage‘s hunt for William Henry Harrison’s gold or whatever it turns out to be.

In the interest of full disclosure, I made that earlier quote up. (Coming Soon)