After nearly 15 years since the theatrical release of National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Justin Bartha will officially be making his return to the action-adventure franchise. Disney+ has confirmed that Bartha has signed on to reprise his role as tech expert Riley Poole in the upcoming National Treasure series. Further details about how his character will be connected to lead star Lisette Alexis’ Jess are still being kept under wraps.
Bartha is also best known for starring in The Hangover trilogy with Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, and Ed Helms. He was most recently seen in Atlanta Season 3’s fourth episode.
Enlisting an expert “treasure protector”. Let’s welcome Justin Bartha back in his guest role as Riley Poole in the #NationalTreasure series coming to #DisneyPlus! pic.twitter.com/Wj63JVYBXD
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) April 11, 2022
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Disney+’s National Treasure series stars Lisette Alexis as Jess, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Prodigal Son) as Billie, Zuri Reed (Flatbush Misdemeanors) as Tasha, Lyndon Smith (Parenthood) as FBI Agent Ross, Jake Austin Walker (DC’s Stargirl) as Liam, Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill) as Oren, and Jordan Rodrigues (Light as a Feather) as Ethan.
Described as an expansion of the Nicolas Cage-led film franchise, “the series is set to explore 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 save a lost Pan-American treasure,” reads the logline.
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The first episode of the National Treasure series is being directed by Mira Nair (Queen of Katwe) from a screenplay written by original film writers Marianne and Cormac Wibberley.
The series hails from the original films’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the Wibberleys, who are all serving as executive producers. It is a production by Jerry Bruckheimer Television with ABC Signature as its studio. It is also executive produced by the first film’s director Jon Turteltaub, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, and Rick Muirragui, who is also set as a writer.
