The LA Daily News spoke to director Jon Turteltaub, who reports that the sequel to Disney's 2004 Nicolas Cage hit, National Treasure, will begin shooting in early 2007.

Turletaub says "We are just about to start pre-production ... We'll have Nic, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel ... Everyone's back except anyone who's in jail or died."

The first film, which grossed $348 million worldwide, followed archaeologist Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) on a search for a hidden treasure from the 1700s secretly mapped out on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

Turteltaub commented "A lot of people said, 'No one will ever go see this,' " recalls Turteltaub. "But we really thought the world wanted smart action heroes and liked history and puzzles and I guess we were right."

He says the sequel will take our intrepid adventurers to "exciting destinations within America as well as around the world. As we were shooting the first one, it kept changing, so I'm scared to commit to anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if Mount Rushmore made an appearance."