Disney+ Orders A “Reimagined” ‘National Treasure’ TV Series
Disney+ has greenlit a new series based on the ‘National Treasure‘ movie franchise it has been revealed. Whilst it comes from the writers behind the films, this will be a new “reimagined” take on the idea.
Written by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, who wrote the movie screenplays, the series will explore the timely issues of identity, community, historical authorship and patriotism, 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.
Movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer will produce the tv series, with Mira Nair (‘Monsoon Wedding’, ‘A Suitable Boy’) set to direct. For those of you about to complain about the lack of Nicolas Cage in this, Bruckheimer did hint in an interview last year, that there are also plans for a possible third film in the franchise which would feature all of the original movie cast.
The ‘National Treasure’ films starred Nic Cage as Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and amateur cryptologist who spent the first film searching for a family legend of a fantastic treasure trove of artefacts and gold, hidden by the Founding Fathers of the United States. Part of the plot involves the suggestion that they steal the Declaration of Independence, leading to the birth of a host of memes online. The second movie, ‘Book of Secrets’, followed Ben as he tries to clear the name of his ancestor who had been implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The first film, released in 2004, grossed $347 million worldwide, whilst the sequel, released in 2007, made $467 million.
Disney+ has a number of tv shows in the works and released right now based on older tv and film properties. They include the horrendously titled (but rather fun) ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’, ‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’ starring Lauren Graham & Emilio Estevez, a ‘Doogie Howser’ reboot called ‘Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.’, a ‘Turner & Hooch’ series starring Josh Peck, and a series based on the ‘Willow’ movie with Warwick Davis returning in the title role. On top of that, there is, of course, a slew of Marvel and Star Wars tv projects already airing and in the works.
There is no news on casting or a release date for ‘National Treasure‘ yet, but we’ll let you know when we hear more.
