Do you believe in magic? ’Now You See Me’ returns for round 3

Justice Smith as Charlie, Ariana Greenblatt as June, Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, and Dave Franco as Jack Wilder in ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.’ (Katalin Vermes for Lionsgate)

For its next trick, Now You See Me becomes a three-film franchise.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, in theaters Friday, continues the magician-themed heist series following the original 2013 movie and its 2016 sequel. The threequel reunites Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher as the Four Horsemen, a troupe of Robin Hood-esque illusionists who use their powers of deception to rob from the rich and powerful for the benefit of the common people.

As Franco tells ABC Audio, he had no idea Now You See Me would become a trilogy back when he was filming the first one.

“The concept of magicians pulling off bank heists, it’s a very fun idea, but in the wrong hands, that could be a disaster,” Franco says. “But I think when that first movie came together the way it did, we were all like, ‘Oh my God, that’s like a miracle magic trick in and of itself.’ And now we’re just trying to harness it, and we just have so much fun making these films.”

Eisenberg thinks that the films have connected with audiences because they make viewers “feel clever.”

“You’re in on the puzzle, and it’s just a great feeling to have,” Eisenberg says. “I have to say, I’ve been in a lot of movies, and these movies, Now You See Me, are the ones I’m stopped for on the street more than anything else.”

Along with the original Horsemen, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t brings three new up-and-coming magicians to the fold, played by Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa and Ariana Greenblatt.

“Huge fan of the first two movies,” Greenblatt says. “I wanted to be in the group, I wanted to be friends with all of them, I wanted to know magic.”