Disney+ announced today that actor Justin Bartha is returning to guest star and reprise the character of Riley Poole from the hit National Treasure franchise in the upcoming Disney+ original series of the same name.
The live-action series is an expansion of the National Treasure movie franchise centered on a young heroine, 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.
Known by many for starring in two beloved billion-dollar franchises, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover trilogy and the National Treasure movies, Justin Bartha can currently be seen receiving rave reviews for his standalone episode “The Big Payback” on FX’s Atlanta.
His other recent credits include co-starring in the critically acclaimed television dramas Godfather of Harlem and The Good Fight.
Bartha’s additional credits include Sweet Girl opposite Jason Momoa on Netflix, Driven alongside Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Wood’s White Girl, Holy Rollers with Jesse Eisenberg, Todd Solondz’s Dark Horse, The Rebound opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ryan Murphy’s The New Normal.
His stage credits include the Tony-nominated revival of Lend Me A Tenor opposite Tony Shaloub, Jesse Eisenberg’s Asunción, Robert Askins’s Permission and Neil Simon’s Sunshine Boys.
As previously announced, the series also stars multiple award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones (Ocean’s Twelve) as Billie, a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code.
The cast includes 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; and Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill on Broadway) as Oren, a loveable but self-obsessed goofball with an encyclopedic knowledge of conspiracy theories that attempts to win back Tasha’s affections.
The cast is rounded out by 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.
Jerry Bruckheimer, Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed executive produce the series alongside Rick Muirragui, who also serves as a writer. Jon Turteltaub is also an executive producer. Mira Nair is directing and executive producing.
A Disney Branded Television series, National Treasure is produced by ABC Signature, part of Disney Television Studios. Production is underway in Baton Rouge.
In the first National Treasure movie, which was released in 2004, Benjamin Gates (Nicolas Cage) had been obsessed since he was a boy with finding the legendary Knights Templar Treasure. As Gates tries to find and decipher ancient riddles that will lead him to it, he’s dogged by a ruthless enemy who wants the riches for himself.
Now, in a race against time, Gates must steal one of America’s most sacred and guarded documents — the Declaration of Independence — or let it, and a key clue to the mystery, fall into dangerous hands.
In the 2007 sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Gates and his team must weave their way to the final clue in a mysterious and highly-guarded book containing centuries of secrets in order to find The Lost City of Gold. But there’s only one way to find it – Ben Gates must kidnap the President.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.