On DVD: 'Book Of Secrets' Global Shoot Challenging

Director Jon Turteltaub is a fun guy. During a virtual interview for online writers and editors about the new DVD and Blu-ray disc release, he was candid and forthright about the making of "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," but he also had some comic moments.

One journalist asked the question, "Why has a number been added to the title for the DVD?" Turteltaub explained that he was curious about that himself. "I think they wanted to have more 'shelf appeal.' I guess 'Book of Secrets' is too messy for the people shopping at Wal-Mart."

He also joked that because the original "Book of Secrets" was from a script that was 180 pages long, "60 pages longer than a script should be," DVD viewers, who he said are hungry for more -- DVD "vultures," he called them -- will get a lot more deleted scenes.

While some fans of the 2004 "National Treasure" said the sequel didn't quite match up to first, there's no doubt that what the second installment lacks in depth it makes up for in breadth.

Nicolas Cage is back as Ben Gates as the treasure hunter, who in the first film was trying to locate a war chest. This time, Gates is trying to protect his family's honor after a legendary story about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln is turned upside down by a rival devilishly played by Ed Harris.

Turteltaub and his crew crisscrossed the globe, shooting in Paris, London, Washington, D.C., and South Dakota, as the movie seeks to find answers to the clues in the White House's Oval Office and the French Statue of Liberty on the river Seine in Paris, among other famous locales, including Mount Rushmore.

Turteltaub said the shooting of the film in so many places was challenging, but worth it. "Shooting on the streets of London was an enormous undertaking. As many of you already know, just walking on the streets of London is difficult. It took a month. We had to shoot car chases there, which (the British) aren't big on."

An early scene sends Gates and his treasure hunting cronies, including Ben's father, played by Jon Voight, to Paris.

"If you're going to shoot a scene in Paris, we found an extraordinary place where there is a full perfect statue of liberty with the Eiffel Tower in the background. It was as if someone built it for us," he said.

The release of the DVD is well timed in a week when the fourth installment of "Indiana Jones" makes its way into movie theaters. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is one in a series of the popular genre of treasure hunting movies. Did someone say "Da Vinci Code?"

"When we made the first 'National Treasure' there hadn't been a good old-fashioned treasure hunt movie in 15 years. Maybe everything old is new again. But between 'National Treasure,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and 'Indy,' it shows that audiences still like the old-fashioned adventures."

So the question on everyone's lips, of course, was, "Will there be a third segment of 'National Treasure'? And is it in the works?"

"We're trying. Our philosophy is that until we have a great story, a great adventure, and a great piece of history to explore, there's no point in making the movie. But we are working on it. And by 'we' I mean 'other people,'" said Turteltaub.