Mira Nair to Adapt Disney Plus’ ‘National Treasure’ Series to the Changing Demographics of America
- The main protagonists of the series based on the popular Nicolas Cage-starrer will be a 20-year-old DREAMer and her diverse group of friends.
Filmmaker Mira Nair is set to direct a series based on Nicolas Cage-starrer film “National Treasure.” The long-gestating “National Treasure” TV series has been greenlighted with a 10-episode order. The rebooted series, which comes from the film’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer and original writers Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, has been officially ordered by Disney Plus, reported Deadline.
The new show explores the timely issues of identity, community, historical authorship and patriotism. It will be 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.
Jess Morales is taking the torch from Benjamin Gates, the character that Cage played in the original 2004 movie and its 2007 sequel, “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.”
The Wibberleys serve as executive producers with Jerry Bruckheimer Television, with ABC Signature as the studio. The development of the new series has been on parallel tracks with the long gestating threequel in the franchise, which brought in Chris Bremner as writer in January 2020. Senior-level writers are expected to join the Wibberleys, whose TV credits include LA’s Finest. They have worked with Bruckheimer on several movies, including the first two National Treasure films and G-Force.
Nair, is best known for movies such as “The Namesake,” “Monsoon Wedding,” and “Queen of Katwe,” most recently directed the controversial BBC series “A Suitable Boy.”
Disney+ has several upcoming series based on the Disney movies, including “Turner & Hooch,” “The Mighty Ducks” and a “Beauty and the Beast” spinoff.