Will We See National Treasure: Edge Of History Season 2?
It looks like the "National Treasure" universe wasn't quite ready to expand. Deadline is reporting that the Disney+ spin-off series "National Treasure: Edge of History" has been cancelled after just one season. Guest stars like Harvey Keitel, Justin Bartha, and franchise newbie Catherine Zeta-Jones apparently weren't enough to save the tie-in series, which arrived a full 15 years after the second film in the Nicolas Cage-led franchise.
"National Treasure: Edge of History" followed Jess (Lisette Olivera), a second-generation treasure-keeper and first-generation Mexican-American immigrant who's tasked with continuing her father's legacy. The first season followed a mystery related to a necklace Jess inherited from her father, one that kickstarts an adventure with ties to secret societies, the Spanish Inquisition, the Battle of the Alamo, and much more. The teen-centric show aimed to capture a younger generation of fans, but with the news of its cancellation, one wonders if it came a bit too late to an audience who may be too young to love the Jon Turteltaub movies.
Despite the considerable gap in time between "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" and the Disney+ series, there is some evidence that "National Treasure: Edge of History" was reaching viewers. The series landed in Nielson's top 10 most-streamed original shows in February, but it also failed to make a splash with critics, earning a meager 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. /Film's Jeremy Mathai reviewed the first two episodes of the series, writing that the franchise's "once-entertaining tropes" failed to connect, "like a well-worn rerun that has since lost any charm that it used to have."
'National Treasure 3' still seems to be in the works
If you did watch and enjoy "National Treasure: Edge of History" or are simply hankering for more swashbuckling adventures in the same vein as the films, all is not lost. As of last year, producer Jerry Bruckheimer was still talking about a script for a third "National Treasure" film, and Cage may even be on board. In December 2022, Bruckheimer told E! News that he's working on a third film installment saying, "At the same time [as the Disney+ series was being made], we were developing National Treasure for the theaters with Nicolas Cage—which we still are. So that's ongoing."
Cage himself has been, well, cagier about the future of the franchise. In March 2022, in reference to continuations of both "National Treasure" and "Face/Off," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter, "So often these things we read about are just conjecture without any base or foundation to it." With the Disney+ series dropped after one season, the bankability of the franchise is uncertain, but I would certainly line up to see Cage and co. steal another historical artifact once more for old times' sake.
Season 1 of "National Treasure: Edge of History" is currently streaming on Disney+.