A familiar face is returning to National Treasure. On Monday, Disney+ announced that Justin Bartha will return to guest star in the upcoming original series of the same name, reprising his fan-favorite role of everybody’s favorite nerdy sidekick Riley Poole.
In the film series, Poole was a valuable (if not slightly awkward) companion to Nicolas Cage‘s Ben Gates, serving up not only jokes but historical and tech knowledge. Knowing Bartha will be back, even if it’s just in guest star form, means we can hopefully look forward to some fun in-jokes…and maybe even some sly references to the original films. After all, if you’re looking for treasure, you know you can’t solve a mystery without Riley Poole!
ROBERT ZUCKERMAN/Disney Justin Bartha in ‘National Treasure’
The new National Treasure series focuses on Jess (Lisette Alexis), a young DREAMer who recruits her friends and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime: to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and save a lost Pan-American treasure.
EW first confirmed news of a TV series based on the popular film franchise in May 2020. In February, Catherine Zeta-Jones officially joined the cast as Billie, a series regular who is “a badass billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code.”
ROBERT ZUCKERMAN/Disney Justin Bartha returns as Riley Poole for Disney+ ‘National Treasure’ series
Zuri Reed (Flatbush Misdemeanors), Jordan Rodrigues (Lady Bird), Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill on Broadway), and Jake Austin Walker (Rectify) star as Jess’ friends who help her with her treasure hunting quest. J Lyndon Smith (Parenthood) also stars as FBI Agent Ross, who assists Jess in her quest to find out the truth.
Jerry Bruckheimer is executive producing the series alongside Cormac and Marianne Wibberley, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, and Jon Turteltaub. Rick Muirragui serves as a writer and executive producer, while Mira Nair will direct and executive produce.
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