'National Treasure: Edge Of History' Canceled By Disney+ After One Season
By Jeffrey Harris on April 23, 2023 at 10:45 AM EDT
The Disney+ original series, "National Treasure: Edge of History," is no more. Deadline reports that Disney+ has canceled the television series, a follow-up to the two films from the 2000s starring Nicolas Cage. So, the show is one and done and won't be returning for a second season.
'National Treasure: Edge Of History' Television Series Canceled By Disney
The show debuted in late December, running through February for one season of 10 episodes. Disney Branded Television and ABC Signature produced the series. It expanded into the world of films, which debuted in 2005 with the first "National Treasure" movie. It later spawned a successful sequel, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," in 2007.
While there had been talking about some "National Treasure" sequel or follow-up from Disney for many years since "Book of Secrets," nothing materialized until "Edge of History" was announced as an original television series for the Disney+ streaming service. The show generally received poor reviews from critics, with the first and only season scoring 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Its audience score is currently at 49%.
The show follows a young heroine, Jess, portrayed by Lisette Olivera, a DREAMer looking for answers about her family and discovering that her father is part of a network of treasure protectors. She soon embarks on an adventure to uncover the truth about her family and to save a lost Pan-American treasure.
The show also starred Academy Award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago," "Wednesday") as Billie Pearce, a black market antiques dealer. The show also saw Justin Bartha ("The Hangover") and Harvey Keitel ("Pulp Fiction," "Bugsy") reprising their respective roles from the original films as Riley Poole and Peter Sadusky. Riley was a friend and collaborator of Cage's Ben Gates in the previous films.
The series also starred Zuri Reed, Antonio Cipriano, Jordan Rodrigues, Jake Austin Walker, and Lyndon Smith. It was executive produced by the original films' producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Jon Turteltaub, and writers Marianne and Cormac Wibberley. The Wibberleys wrote the first episode of the show, and Executive producer Rick Muirragui also served as a writer for the episodic show.
Whether or not a third "National Treasure" movie will finally happen, starring Cage, remains to be seen. The second film was even more successful than the original, grossing $219 million domestically and $459 million worldwide from a $130 million budget. Producer Bruckheimer told E! News last December, when the television series was launching, that a new film was in development, stating, "At the same time, we were developing 'National Treasure' for the theaters with Nicolas Cage—which we still are. So, that's ongoing."
https://youtu.be/QOTKWuIlmh8
Cage does not reprise his role as Ben Gates in "Edge of History." It will be interesting to see if the TV show's cancelation possibly hurts the chances of a third film getting made or perhaps pushes the demand for a third film starring the iconic Cage forward. The original "National Treasure" features, and the "Edge of History" TV spinoff is now streaming on Disney+.