'National Treasure' TV Show Officially Coming to Disney+
Disney+ has officially greenlit a series based on the National Treasure movie franchise. From [...]
Disney+ has officially greenlit a series based on the National Treasure movie franchise. From original producer Jerry Bruckheimer and writers Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, the series has been given a 10-episode order, Deadline reported Wednesday. At this time, a tentative premiere date for the upcoming series has not been teased.
The series will find the Nicolas Cage's Benjamin Gates handing the torch over to a new group of characters, as the series is set to be a "reimagining" of the films and will be "told from the point of view of Jess Morales, a twenty-year-old DREAMer who, with her diverse group of friends, sets off on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover her mysterious family history and recover lost treasure." The series is set to explore "the timely issues of identity, community, historical authorship and patriotism." Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair) has signed on to direct the project, and Bruckheimer and the Wibberleys will executive produce. Senior-level writers are also expected to join the series. No official announcements have been made in regard to casting at this time.
Confirmation that the series is a go comes after a National Treasure TV series has been in the works for some time now. Back in May 2020, Bruckheimer teased to Collider that a series was in the work's at Disney's streaming platform and expressed hope that both the series and a third movie in the franchise would come to fruition. He told the outlet, "the one for Disney+ is a much younger cast. It's the same concept but a young cast. The one for theatrical would be the same cast." At the time, Bruckheimer said "the version is being written right now. The television version is in process. We have a pilot script done and an outline of the future episodes." He added that both projects were "very active."
The National Treasure franchise kicked off in 2004, with Cage starring as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian/amateur treasure hunter who goes on a quest to steal the Declaration of Independence. In 2007, the first sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, hit theaters, finding Benjamin tasked with decoding the journal of John Wilkes Booth to clear his ancestor's name in the Lincoln assassination. The first movie grossed over $347 million worldwide, according to Variety, with the second film reaching over $459 million. The third film, which was first teased all the way back in 2008, has been in development for years.
As fans await the National Treasure series, they can catch up on the first two movies, which are available for streaming on Disney+. You can sign up for the streaming service by clicking here. Stay tuned to PopCulture.com for all of the latest streaming updates!