Spoilers, and I’ll say that once more and a little louder, MAJOR SPOILERS for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t are ahead! Read with caution, and go see the third Now You See Me movie in theaters now.
I love a great plot twist, and to this day, I still think about Now You See Me’s epic surprise. However, I think I’ll have to add Now You See Me: Now You Don’t's big shocker to the list, too. That's because following its premiere on the 2025 movie schedule, I’m still thinking about its massive reveal, what the cast told CinemaBlend about it, and how it could impact the franchise going forward.
Rosamund Pike Told Me Why The Twist Was 'Brilliant'
Ahead of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’s release, I had the chance to interview the cast right after I saw the movie. I was particularly excited to ask about the giant plot twist toward the end, where it’s revealed that Justice Smith’s magician, Charlie, was related to Rosamund Pike’s villain, Veronika, and he was the mastermind behind the big plan to take her down.
Speaking with the Pride and Prejudice actress specifically about this, she told me all about why she thought it was a “brilliant” twist. After learning about Charlie's true identity and his relation to Veronika during her first meeting with Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’s director, Ruben Fleischer, Pike was excited to play this rich and “dubious” character. She also thought that how Veronika and Charlie were used in the plot twist was not only shocking but meaningful. She said:
Obviously, the twist with Charlie is brilliant, and it ties into sort of South African history and the kind of dubious nature of the diamond trade, and, you know, the complexity of social dynamics in that country. And, you know, I think it's quite startling, and, you know, quite an emotive twist for one of these films. I think it's quite brave. And, you know, to actually tie the villain to the Horseman is a brave move.
It was certainly a brave and very unexpected move. Throughout the film, it’s made clear that Veronika is a power-hungry and demanding boss of a diamond empire from South Africa. Meanwhile, Charlie spends the majority of the movie speaking with an American accent and (seemingly) helping the Horsemen pull off their latest heist.
However, while it seems like Charlie and his friends, Ariana Greenblatt’s June and Dominic Sessa’s Bosco, are the new additions to the crew, it turns out they’re the ones who planned it all.
When it came to filming the reveal that Justice Smith’s character was really running this whole show, Pike gushed about him and the way he used a South African accent during the moment. She said:
He was very secretive about his South African accent, and he didn't really disclose it to me until that scene. So when this truly South African voice came out of Justice in that scene, it was electrifying and disturbing and scary.
The shock on Veronika’s face says it all, and I know my jaw was certainly on the floor too when Smith’s silhouette showed up on screen during that final trick and he started speaking with a different accent. Immediately after that, I also knew I needed to see the movie for a second time so I could see how it laid the groundwork for this twist.
Why You Should Re-Watch Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Much like in the first Now You See Me, the mastermind behind the whole trick turned out to be the person I least expected. Then, to add to that, making him related to the villain made the surprise even more shocking. That means, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t will make for a great re-watch, because now, we can all try and keep an eye out for hints about Charlie’s true identity. To that point, Rosamund Pike told me:
When you watch it again, you will see the subtlest of ways that Justice is playing a story that you don't realize is happening the first time you watch it. He has every moment keyed in of what he needs to be happening and how he's seeing it, which is different from how the other two are seeing it.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is like a magic trick itself, thanks to this plot twist. So, now, I have to go back and rewatch to try and figure out how they pulled it off. Pike explained that a lot of the reason why it works comes down to Justice Smith’s performance. She said:
And you realize, you know, he is playing the mastermind. And it's brilliant. I am so full of admiration for him.
I agree with her, too. He is amazing in this movie, and his reveal as Veronika’s sibling was mind-boggling. And that is why I can’t wait to rewatch Now You See Me 3 and hopefully eventually see how Charlie’s story continues in a fourth installment.
Based On What Justice Smith Told Me, I Hope They Explore The Impact Of This Twist In Another Now You See Me Movie
Now, considering how Now You See Me: Now You Don’t ended, it’d make a lot of sense if a fourth movie followed it. When I spoke to Justice Smith, he alluded to that idea too. Speaking about how he developed Charlie’s story with Ruben Fleischer, he also teased what he’s looking forward to exploring more:
It was really cool. It was something that I really wanted to curate with Ruben, to, like, make sure we were hiding our hand, as magicians often do. So there's a lot of crafting of what Charlie's front-facing persona is versus like who he really is. And I guess we'll explore who he really is in like the next movie.
In this movie, Charlie is the behind-the-scenes guy until his connection to Veronika is revealed. So, we only got to know a bit about his backstory, and we only saw him as the frontman for a few minutes. I’d love to see more of that in another movie, and I’d really like to know more about his backstory.
I’m specifically intrigued by how he got to know June and Bosco, and if the Horsemen ride again, I hope we get to explore their dynamic and history even more.
So, here’s hoping Now You See Me 4 gets to happen, so we can see more magic, more heists, and more backstory when it comes to Charlie, Veronika and this wild plot twist.
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