Jon Voight and Nicolas Cage were caught waiting outside the White House for a tour! Well, not exactly, although I wouldn't be surprised if they were allowed in for a private look around at the presidential quarters. What exactly were Voight and Cage doing pandering in front of the black iron gates? They were in the middle of filming National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Just Jared captured a sequence of photographs that show a variety of comfortable cast members lolly gagging as they waited for their next shot. National Treasure: Book of Secrets returns with almost the entire cast from the original, including Diane Kruger and Harvey Kietel. This time, instead of going after a treasure, Cage is seeking resolution over President Abraham Lincoln's death.

The search is for the missing pages in John Wilkes Booth's diary that may reveal the reason for his actions. Hence the necessity for the White House to be a part of the plot. I have to admit it sounds interesting and whether there truly is a legend about missing pages from Booth's diary I'm not sure, but a story that dives into the man behind Lincoln's death could be utterly fascinating. The first National Treasure made nearly $350 million dollars in box office sales worldwide in 2004 and held the number one spot for three weeks in a row; for those who haven't seen it, the Jerry Bruckheimer production is about a treasure hunter (Cage) who sought after a historical fortune that his fellow employer had his eyes set on too -- see the conflict? We have another nine months until we see if National Treasure: Book of Secrets matches the success of its predecessor but for now, there are always production stills to enjoy. National Treasure: Book of Secrets reaches theatres on December 21 of this year.

Odds and ends from Wednesday:

• The other day, Martha reported on a Boston Herald article that claimed Gwyneth Paltrow had nabbed a role in Seven Day Itch, the latest Farrelly brothers comedy which is inspired by Neil Simon's The Heartbreak Kid. The article also claimed those Farrelly boys were after actress Michelle Monaghan, though nothing was even close to being certain. Okay, now reverse everything. According to Variety, Monaghan has officially snagged a role in Itch, while Dreamworks denied those Paltrow rumors claiming actresses were still reading for the part. Pic tells the story of a groom (Ben Stiller) who questions his marital commitments after meeting another woman (Monaghan) while on his honeymoon.
• America Ferrera (Wow, imagine growing up with the first name 'America'? Would you then celebrate two birthdays -- one being the day you were born and the other on independence day? That would be sweet!) has signed on to star in and executive produce the indie bilingual thriller Hacia la oscuridad (Toward Darkness) for writer/director Antonio Negret. Story revolves around the last 90 minutes in the life of a kidnapped Colombian. Ferrera is best known for her roles in Real Woman Have Curves and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
• Okay, so we all know by now that, if it were up to Johnny Depp, the actor would continue making Pirates of the Caribbean sequels forever and ever ... and ever. That's wonderful, but what about everyone else involved in the hit franchise? Producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently chimed in with his thoughts on possible Pirates sequels saying that if Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio continue to come up with solid stories and Disney wants to finance them (they'd be stupid not to), then you bet your ass he's down for more. Also, when asked what he was working on now, Bruckheimer noted, as we previously reported, that he's trying to put together a sequel to 2004's National Treasure with the original cast all returning minus Sean Bean. They're currently working on a script which, like the first, will revolve around some phenomenal facts in American history.

 

We know you love Jerry Bruckheimer - don't even try to deny it. Granted, the man's ubiquity can get a little annoying. And, sure, he's been involved with a lot of crap. But come on, people: Days of Thunder? Top Gun? The Amazing Race? Pirates of the Caribbean? Face it – he's a frighteningly big part of American culture. And he's also very, very busy. So, when Coming Soon sat down for a chat with the man himself, the got a mess of updates on a variety of projects. To sum up:

• There's only about a week left in shooting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; it will wrap this month and be edited in March.
• Pirates of the Caribbean 3 will get underway at the end of summer.
• National Treasure 2 is coming (yippee), complete with an "excited" Nicolas Cage.
• As we've told you, Deja Vu will start shooting in February in New Orleans.
• Despite The Island, Michael Bay is "a great guy and he's a visionary." Yikes.
• If Sony was interested, Bruckheimer would make Bad Boys 3 (again with the yikes) "in a second."