National Treasure Sequel And New Series Coming to Disney+

Disney Plus has quickly become the saving grace for Star Wars with The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian. Can the platform support another popular Disney franchise to the same level? We’re about to find out. Collider is reporting that veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer has declared the National Treasure franchise that starred Nicholas Cage and Diane Kruger is getting a third feature film as well as a recurring series on Disney Plus.

Where are they at in the process with new installments of National Treasure?

Bruckheimer gave an interview to Collider’s editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub about his new show, Hightown, the National Treasure subject popped up. Jerry shared a few exciting details:

“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.”

He did add the caveat about the biggest question on the fan’s minds—is the original cast coming back for this? The answer was yes and no:

“The one for Disney Plus is a much younger cast. It’s the same concept but a young cast. The one for theatrical would be the same cast.”

It remains to be seen how engaged fans of the films will be without Nicholas Cage leading the quest in each episode. His reluctant interaction and aw-shucks antics endear the audience. That’s a powerful emotion a filmmaker would not want to lose. The last thing he let out was where they are in the process for both projects:

“The film 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.”

Jerry Bruckheimer to Steve Weintraub at Collider

What makes National Treasure so popular with fans?

Everyone has a little love for unique history, and so much of history is still in a mysterious fog of the unknown. If you disagree, just look at the History Channel and Discovery Channel. Shows like Curse of Oak Island, Lost Gold of WWII, Curse of Civil War Gold and The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch among others have huge followings.

The way these films are portrayed is quirky and fun-loving. Ben’s (Nicholas Cage) enthusiasm for history makes you enthusiastic for history. Sure there was some peril, especially in the first film, but by and large, these were smash family films that taught you a little bit about history along the way. And the coup de grâce of these stories is they are completely original. With all the rehashing that happens in Hollywood, both of these movies were breaths of fresh, original air.

Finally, it’s the first movie I can think of in a long line of movies where Sean Bean survives to the end!

What could they be looking for this time?

It would be a stretch for Disney Plus to sink teeth into too controversial of a topic for the cast to tackle, like who shot JFK, or who was D.B. Cooper, but there are options. In American history, there’s only a handful of remaining major mysteries or treasures they could be after. Here’s a stab at a couple of them.

The Lost Colony of Roanoke?

This is a fascinating story that doesn’t necessarily involve treasure, but it remains one of early America’s most baffling mysteries. Essentially, an entire colony of settlers vanished without a trace in the three-year absence of their first mayor, John White. He returned from England to find the words “Croatoan” and “CRO” carved into a tree, and nothing else. The whole colony vanished. Will the National Treasure team hunt down the mystery of the lost colony?

Civil War Confederate Gold?

This one is unlikely since it’s already been done. Sahara and History Channel’s The Curse of Civil War Gold do a marvelous job shedding light on this historical mystery. In addition, National Treasure 2 already took us on a Civil War mystery story. No need to beat a dead gold bar. However, the thought of millions of dollars in gold possibly buried under random trees across the southern United States is a tempting target.

UFOs and Area 51?

The recent failed fan zerg-raid planned for Area 51 may have fizzled, but the intrigue around America’s most secret military installation is a draw to conspiracy theorists no matter what. I hope Jerry Bruckheimer and the other show runners will take a lesson, however, from the plot failure of Indiana Jones 4. If they do use Area 51 as the backdrop, sometimes aliens and archeology shouldn’t mix.

What do you think they’ll be after, Hashtaggers? What’s on page 47 of the Book of Secrets? Sound off in the comments, and the more outlandish the treasure, the better! Stick with That Hashtag Show for all your in-depth news and reviews for everything trending in geek pop culture!