Credit: DisneyTreasure hunters and history buffs unite – the upcoming National Treasure series finally has a new lead!
It was announced this year that Disney+ will be reviving the treasured adventure franchise with a new television series that will follow the premise of the first two movies.
The original cast, including Nicholas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates, will not be returning for the show, but now we know who Cage will pass the proverbial (and actual) torch to.
Deadline has reported that Lisette Alexis, who recently starred in the thriller movie We Need to Do Something (2021) opposite Sierra McCormick, has been cast as the new lead in the Disney+ National Treasure series.
Alexis will play Jess Morales, a twenty-year-old DREAMer who, with her diverse group of friends, set off on an adventure of a lifetime to uncover her mysterious family history and recover lost treasure:
The series, whose pilot episode is written by the Wibberleys and will be directed by Mira Nair, centers on Jess (Alexis), a Latina whose brilliant and resourceful mind loves a good mystery, and she has a natural talent for solving puzzles. Over the course of the show, Jess will uncover her own buried history, as well as the truth about her parents and her connection to a long-lost treasure.
National Treasure (2004) is a widely popular film starring Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates alongside Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Christopher Plummer, and more. The storyline follows Benjamin as he goes on the hunt for a national treasure that his grandfather told him about; however, things take a turn when the team steals the Declaration of Independence.
Disney green lit the series early this year, which will “explore the timely issues of identity, community, historical authorship and patriotism”.
The National Treasure show may have said goodbye to Nicolas Cage, but the film franchise has not. A third National Treasure is still in development.
Collider spoke with National Treasure producer Jerry Bruckheimer who noted:
“We’re certainly working on one [National Treasure] for streaming and we’re working on one for the big screen. Hopefully, they’ll both come together and we’ll bring you another National Treasure, but they’re both very active….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.”
We can’t wait to go adventuring again into the world of National Treasure. Keep looking out for more updates on the last and release of this new Disney+ show.
Are you excited about the new National Treasure television series? Let us know in the comments.