The Disney+ sequel series to 2004’s National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage has a complex map full of clues, but thankfully, it can be discovered here on Collider rather than on the back of the Declaration of Independence. As soon as the news was made, we kept an eye on the series’ progress, and now we have an official title: National Treasure: Edge of History. Edge of History is an intriguing new addition to the National Treasure franchise that takes place in the same universe as the original, but with a younger cast of characters. The cast and executive producers of Edge of History will disclose further clues for National Treasure searchers at this year’s Comic-Con, where they will give a behind-the-scenes peek at the Disney+ original series.
In the original series, Jess Morales, a 20-year-old Latina-American DREAMer, will lead the investigation into her family’s background, played by We Need to Do Something star, Lisette Olivera. As the premise of Edge of History centres on a new family, it is reasonable to assume that it will follow the original action-adventure movie’ themes. We’ll witness Morales and friends working together to discover and retrieve forgotten historical treasures that may have a personal link to our new protagonist. In an interview with Collider, Edge of History producer Jerry Bruckheimer stated that the show will have “the same premise but a younger cast.”
When it was first announced, very little was known about the series. Now, we know that Queen of Katwe director Mira Nair is behind the camera and that the spinoff will run for 10 episodes. Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, the original writers of National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, have returned for the series, as well as Jon Turtletaub, the director of the franchise’s feature film, returning to executive produce. Fans can expect a lot of the charm and comedy that made the original series such an acknowledged classic so many years ago, thanks to the involvement of so many of the original crew members.
Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) was a historian and treasure hunter who raced against time or mercenaries to find the huge Templar Treasure in the National Treasure movie. The films grossed over $800 million worldwide, making the National Treasure series a great hit for Disney. As a result, fans began clamouring for a third film to complete the trilogy. Disney’s reluctance to “capitalise on it as a brand” has resulted in National Treasure 3’s demise, according to Jason Reed, the Production Executive at the time.
As a result, Bruckheimer and Turtletaub shifted their emphasis to the Disney+ streaming series Edge of History instead. Riley Poole, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jordan Rodrigues, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, Jacob Vargas, Lyndon Smith, and more will join Olivera in National Treasure: Edge of History, which premieres on PBS on September 14. Disney’s panel at this year’s Comic-Con will feature National Treasure: Edge of History’s executive producers and writers Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, as well as the show’s cast members Olivera, Walker, Cipriano, Rodrigues, Reed, and Smith.