If there’s one thing National Treasure taught us, is that it’s all in the details. The iconic franchise starring Nicholas Cage spawned one sequel and now, a Disney+ series called National Treasure: Edge of History. Season 1 of the show premiered on December 14, 2022, and it has so many nods to the OG movies. Keep reading to uncover all of them.
News of the National Treasures series was first reported by Deadline in March 2021, revealing that the 10-episode series would bring back the film’s original writers. This time around, a young DREAMer named Jess Morales (played by Lisette Alexis) sets out on a hunt with her friends to find out more about her family history and, of course, uncover lost treasure. According to the original announcement, the show is set to explore themes of “identity, community, historical authorship and patriotism.”
“After my casting announcement had been made and the whole world knew it was me that was gonna be at the forefront of the franchise, there were some people that were disappointed, but there were a lot of people that were very supportive,” Lisette told Entertainment Weekly in August 2022.
The official trailer for National: Treasure: Edge of History was unveiled in September 2022, prominently featuring Harvey Keitel, reprising his role as Agent Peter Sadusky, talking to the new protagonist Jess Morales, revealing to her that her dad harbored many secrets. Catherine Zeta-Jones also stars in the Disney+ series.
“It’s a scary thought to have to follow someone’s performance like Nic Cage,” the actress admitted to the outlet, adding it was “daunting.” However, she explained that she felt like she was in “safe hands” as the original National Treasure producers, writers, and even, composer for the films, were all on board with the Disney+ and helped guide her.
Lisette, 23, is most well-known for the 2021 film We Need to Do Something, series Total Eclipse, I Always Said After and the short film Feint.
Scroll through the gallery below to uncover all of the great treasures — or just the best references to the National Treasure films in the new Disney+ series.
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