National Treasure: Justin Bartha returns for Disney+ series

A character from Disney’s National Treasure franchise will be joining the upcoming TV series as the studio has reported that Justin Bartha will be reprising his character of Riley Poole in a guest-starring role.

The live-action National Treasure series will be an expansion of the movie franchise and center on Jess (Lisette Alexis), a brilliant and resourceful DREAMer who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure. In the two National Treasure movies, Justin Bartha’s Riley Poole was a computer expert and a friend to Nicolas Cage’s Benjamin Gates.

The National Treasure series will also star Catherine Zeta-Jones as Billie, a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert and treasure hunter who lives by her own code; Zuri Reed (Flatbush Misdemeanors) as Tasha, Jess’ ride-or-die friend who joins the treasure hunt but is forced to reevaluate her belief system to help her best friend; Jordan Rodrigues (Lady Bird) as Ethan, Jess’ childhood best friend who has loved her since the day they met; Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill) as Oren, a loveable but self-obsessed goofball with an encyclopedic knowledge of conspiracy theories that attempts to win back Tasha’s affections; Jake Austin Walker (Rectify) as Liam, a swoon-worthy struggling musician, with a permanent chip on his shoulder, who comes from a long line of treasure hunters. Jess recruits her friends to help uncover the truth about her parents and their connection to the treasure. Lyndon Smith (Parenthood) stars as FBI Agent Ross, who assists in the quest.

Following the release of National Treasure: Book of Secrets in 2007, a third film was in development but just couldn’t get off the ground. Nicolas Cage was recently asked if another National Treasure movie was possible, but he replied, “No, the priority was to turn it into a TV show so I would say probably not.” Now that the National Treasure series includes a direct link to the movies… could a Nicolas Cage appearance be possible? I sure hope so.