The movie side of the franchise might be buried in a musty chamber somewhere, but Disney+ isn't letting the National Treasure story stop with just two films. A TV series spin-off has been in the works for a while, and Catherine Zeta-Jones has now hopped aboard to play one of the leads.
On the small screen, National Treasure will be set in the world of document and artifact hunting, but instead of Nic Cage's Benjamin Gates, will focus on young heroine Jess (Lisette Alexis) — a DREAMer in search of answers about her family — who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about the past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.
Zeta-Jones will play Billie, a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code. She transformed herself from a penniless orphan to a shrewd, stylish businesswoman and adventurer. Billie’s used to getting what she wants—and she wants the Pan-American treasure. But for once, this has deeper stakes for her, beyond the money.
Lyndon Smith, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano and Jordan Rodrigues are all in the cast for the show, which has Cormac & Marianne Wibberley as executive producers (they wrote the pilot), alongside the movies' director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Mira Nair is on board to direct the first episode.
All being well, the show will kick off shooting this month in Baton Rouge.