Now You See Me: Now You Don’t maintains consistency with the rest of the franchise by executing a shocking twist, which could leave audiences confused. The third installment of Lionsgate’s magic heist franchise has returned after an extended break, pooling together the Four (Five) Horsemen, as well as a trio of up-and-coming magicians, to thieve the most expensive diamond in the world from diamond tycoon Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike) and expose her for corruption and money laundering.
As usual, the secret organization known as the Eye is behind everything, or at least it appears that way. The original Four Horsemen, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), all receive invitations that form a map, leading the group to a chateau in France. This would be impossible, however, without the assistance of Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco Leroy (Dominic Sessa), and June (Ariana Greenblatt), promising new magicians running Hoursemen-inspired schemes in Brooklyn.
How Charlie Pulled the Strings in ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’
Throughout the film, newcomer Charlie presents himself as an anxious, behind-the-scenes operator who’s shy around his heroes in the Horsemen. Though he’s evidently gifted and highly intelligent, the extent to which Charlie pulls the strings is vastly underestimated by practically everyone, excluding his two companions, which helps build toward the final twist: he is Veronika Vanderberg’s paternal half-brother, whom she believed to have died fifteen years earlier in a car “accident.”
Much of the exposition regarding the Vanderberg family drama is given during Veronika’s interrogation scene with Merritt. The veteran magician attempts to play tricks on her by psychoanalyzing her and drawing from her past, which leads her to reveal that she received minimal love and attention from her father, the previous CEO, who also happened to be a Nazi. However, she wasn’t the only one, as her mother also struggled to maintain his attention, and took her own life after discovering his adultery with their housekeeper. In response, Veronika had the housekeeper and her young half-brother killed, or so she thought.
Charlie spent the next fifteen years plotting revenge for his mother, looking to frame Veronika for her role in the company’s evil. Inspired by his father’s interest in magic and, later, the Horsemen, Charlie plotted the ultimate scheme, even tricking master magicians like Atlas and Merritt into carrying out his plans. The final confrontation transpires in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, where Vanderberg has recently acquired a Formula 1 racing team. As the Four Horsemen, now joined by Lula May (Lizzy Caplan), force their way out of a glass box, Charlie lays out his final trap, exposing Veronika in front of a massive crowd.
Veronika is arrested, and the film posits that her wealth will be stripped away from her and given to Charlie, who promises to return it to the people. He also reveals that he’s going to give “the Heart” to the people of South Africa, redistributing wealth that had been monopolized by the Vanderbergs for several generations.
How ‘Now You Don’t’s Ending Sets Up ‘Now You See Me’ 4
We already knew that Lionsgate began development of a fourth installment earlier this year, so Now You See Me: Now You Don’t had to end with the setup for a new movie. The eight protagonists come back together at the hidden Brooklyn apartment to celebrate their victory over Veronika, which includes a romantic reunion for Jack and Lula, picking up after the second film. Though Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) was declared to be in a Russian prison earlier in the film, a hologram of him reveals that he’d been faking it and is actually planning something major.
Given the nine-year gap between 2016’s Now You See Me 2 and the recent film, it’s unclear when the fourth will hit theaters. Given that it was already in progress months before Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’s, it’s possible it could be a much less significant gap, but the factor of box office performance still needs to be considered. Regardless, this is a franchise that can spawn infinite stories, and with the young characters in Now You Don’t, they’ve already established a future for it.
The Real Meaning of ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’s Ending, Explained
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is primarily a movie made for entertainment purposes, mixing magic tricks for a unique take on the action/heist thriller genres. While there isn’t a complex, emotional throughline to this film, there are still some thematic takeaways to explore. The Now You See Me franchise commonly takes a Robin Hood-like anti-capitalist stance, with the Four Horsemen and the Eye using their talents to steal from the wealthy elite and redistribute to the masses. This is consistent with Charlie’s goals and the take-down of Veronika Vanderberg.
This movie also has crucial elements of family and found-family. Charlie’s half-sister tried to kill him, but he was able to rebuild his life through the companionship of Bosco and June, whom he considered his new family. Similarly, the Horsemen have spent years apart, but by the end of the film, they realize they’re stronger and better off when they have each other. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t brings them all together to reveal their full potential.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2025
- Runtime
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0 Minutes
- Director
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Ruben Fleischer
- Writers
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Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael Lesslie, Eric Warren Singer
- Producers
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Alex Kurtzman