National Treasure (film)

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Thefirst film was a financial success at the box office.[1] While it was met with mixed reviews by critics, who compared the movie unfavorably to Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code,[2][3][4][5] audience response was positive, and the film has gained a positive legacy.[6][7] The second film was also met with mixed critical reception, and had specific criticism directed at its use of similar plot devices,[8][9] believability,[10] and pacing.[11] The film was met with positive response from audiences and made significant ticket revenue at the box office, and profit then and from further distribution for The Walt Disney Company.[1][12][13][14]

Benjamin "Ben" Franklin Gates is a member of a family of treasure hunters. At a young age, his grandfather tells him the legend of the hidden treasures of the Founding Fathers of the USA. His grandfather teaches him that the men and women of American history buried the treasure somewhere within the country and have hidden highly cryptic clues throughout various lands within the nation's borders.

Years later, after a dead-end in the family's momentum of discovery and generations of failed attempts to progress the research, the Gates family has publicly acquired a reputation of conspiracy theorists who profess myth. Ben, however, believes he has found a new lead to solve the mystery of the treasure, which will allow him to prove that his family's legacy isn't a joke. One of the clues lead him to believe a map is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. In a race to find the historical discovery and to preserve it in a national museum, Ben must outpace the villainous plans of his former associate-turned-enemy named Ian Howe. Meanwhile, the FBI grows suspicious of his actions. Upon learning that Ian intends to take the document and find the treasure for personal gain, Ben decides to steal the file himself in order to preserve it, as well as the national treasure.

Several years since Benjamin "Ben" Franklin Gates found the Knight's Templar national treasure and gained fame and wealth from a self-imposed minimal 1% finder's fee, the Gates family finds themselves once again defending their family name.

Competing scavenger Mitch Wilkinson claims that he has learned from a fragment of a missing page of John Wilkes Booth's diary, that the Gates family ancestor was a conspirator to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Together the Gates family contends with Wilkinson, who also states that hints to the whereabouts of the Lost City of Gold were found in the journal. Outraged by his familial claims Ben, his ex-girlfriend Abigail, and his best friend Riley (who has become a famous writer), travel the globe to France, England, and Washington, D.C. where their plans escalate. Along the way the team collect clues to redeem the family name, and to prove his honor.

In May 2008, director and producer Jon Turteltaub stated that the filmmakers involved with the series will take their time in developing another National Treasure sequel.[19] By September 2008, producer Jerry Bruckheimer officially confirmed that a third film is under development,[20] with a script being written that November.[21] In May 2010, Bruckheimer stated that the first draft of the screenplay was completed.[22] In May 2016, Nicolas Cage confirmed the film was still undergoing rewrites and fact-checking their historical accuracy during the process of being developed.[23] In September 2017, Bruckheimer revealed that a script was completed, but Disney was not satisfied with the story.[24] By July 2018, Turtletaub reiterated that a script was "close", but that Disney was still not on board with the story.[25]

In January 2020, after years of being in development hell, a third film was officially in development with Chris Bremner hired to write a new script.[15] In May, Bruckheimer stated that the intent is for all of the original cast from the previous films reprise their respective roles.[26] By March 2022, Nicolas Cage stated that he has not yet seen the script,[27][28] casting doubt on the realization of a third film.[29] In April of the same year, the actor indicated that the film had been delayed with The Walt Disney Company favoring the television series instead.[30] In August 2022, Bruckheimer stated that the script had been finished and was being sent to Cage for approval.[31]

In March 2024, Cage stated he had no interest in returning for a third film.[32] However, in an interview with National Treasure Hunt Podcast (May 29th), Director Jon Turteltaub stated the movie was "100% going ahead with the original cast, with potential for previous adversaries to return".[33]

In May 2020, Jerry Bruckheimer announced that a Disney+ exclusive streaming services television series was in development. The series would feature a younger cast, with the pilot episode scripted and the additional episodes outlined.[34] By March 2021, the series was green-lit with a 10-episode order from The Walt Disney Company. Co-written by Marianne and Cormac Wibberley, the pilot episode would be directed by Mira Nair.

The series follows a Hispanic Latina-American lead character named Jess Valenzuela, who is a 20-year-old DREAMer who sets off on an exploration to discover the mystery of her family history, and with the help of her friends seeks to recover historical lost treasure. The co-writers additionally serve as creators, and executive producers, on the series, while Jerry Bruckheimer also serves as a producer. The project is a joint-venture production between Jerry Bruckheimer Television and ABC Signature.[16]

In October 2021, Lisette Olivera was cast to play Jess (Morales in original notes, Valenzuela in released material) in the show. In January 2022, Lyndon Smith, Zuri Reed, Jake Austin Walker, Antonio Cipriano, and Jordan Rodrigues were announced to have been cast as FBI Agent Ross, Tasha, Liam, Oren, and Ethan, respectively.[35] In February 2022, Catherine Zeta-Jones was announced to have been cast as antagonist Billie Pearce.[36] In April 2022, it was announced that Justin Bartha would reprise his role of Riley Poole as a recurring guest star.[37] In September 2022, the showrunners/creators stated that they have tentative plans for reintroducing additional characters from the films into the series, including Nicolas Cage's Ben Gates. The duo compared the meeting between Valenzuela and Gates to Tony Stark / Iron Man and Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[38]

The franchise expanded with the release of a series of historical-fiction novels, written by Catherine Hapka and published by Disney Press. The series centers around the ancestors of the Gates Family.

The franchise also has a unofficial podcast, National Treasure Hunt, hosted by Aubrey Paris Ph.D and Emily Black Ph.D., who breakdown the franchise with in depth analysis into the science and myths around the National Treasure universe as well as comparisons with other similar franchises, Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones and Uncharted. The podcast hosts interviews with prominent people within the franchise including Jon Turteltaub,[48][49][50] Cormac & Marianne Wibberley and Charles Segars, as well as Red Carpet interviews with the stars of National Treasure: Edge of History which include Catherine Zeta-Jones, Breeda Wool and Lisette Olivera.

In this edition of "Presenting the Facts", we explore the 2004 blockbuster National Treasure. The story was written by Jim Kouf, Oren Aviv, and Charles Segars, and the screenplay was by Jim Kouf, Cormac Wibberley, and Marianne Wibberley. It was directed by Jon Turtletaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who is known for other action films based in historical details, including Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down. To quote the Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, where the movie has a 44% rating, "National Treasure is no treasure, but it's a fun ride for those who can forgive its highly improbable plot."

A brief note on names: Nicolas Cage's character, Ben Gates, has the full name Benjamin Franklin Gates, as revealed in the opening scene with his grandfather. In fact, Ben's father's full name is Patrick Henry Gates (played by Jon Voight), and his grandfather's full name is John Adams Gates (played by Christopher Plummer). But the allusion to the founders doesn't stop with the Gates family. Diane Kruger's character is named Abigail Chase, a combination of Abigail Adams and Samuel Chase. Sean Bean's character is called Ian Howe (though it is revealed that this may be an alias), and General William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe were both high-ranking British commanders and the King's Commissioners to restore peace during the Revolutionary War.

Many of the scenes set in Philadelphia were shot on location, in such landmarks as Reading Terminal Market and the Franklin Institute. But one notable exception is Independence Hall. Rather than filming in the real building, a National Historical Park, the filmmakers substituted the brick-for-brick replica of Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Walter Knott had a love for American history, and his replica which was constructed between 1964-1966 was based on historical records, photographs, blueprints, and exact measurements. So, there was no need for Nicolas Cage to run around a real "national treasure" when a truly exact replica existed.

The last three living signers were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton. But after both Jefferson and Adams died on July 4th, 1826, Carroll was the sole survivor. He died in Baltimore on November 14, 1832 at the age of 95.

Washington, Franklin, and Revere were all Masons. But when the conversation turns to signers of the Declaration of Independence, Ben says, "nine, for sure," were Masons, and we don't actually know that for sure. The exact count of the signers of the Declaration who were Masons differs from source to source. Eight signers, including Franklin, are recorded as being affiliated with specific Masonic lodges: Elbridge Gerry, John Hancock, William Hooper, Richard Stockton, Matthew Thornton, George Walton, and William Whipple. Several other signers visited a lodge, or had sons who became Masons, so there is a chance that more than eight signers were Masons.

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