One of the movies that have seen a cult following is National Treasure, which saw a sequel in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Starring Nicolas Cage, this movie series is actually big among history enthusiasts due to how it follows a storyline that focuses on historical American secrets. The National Treasure movie series saw a revival in the form of an episodic series format called National Treasure: Edge of History, which is actually missing Cage. So, why is Nicolas Cage not in National Treasure: Edge of History?
Nicolas Cage is not in National Treasure Edge of History because of his busy schedule. Of course, the entire series also follows a different leading character that has her own unique story. As such, the series seeks to tell a different story that isn’t directly connected to the events of the first two movies.
The fact that National Treasure: Edge of History follows the story of a new character with her own adventures is one of the reasons why this series isn’t focused on the storyline that Nicolas Cage’s Benjamin Franklin Gates started in the first two National Treasure movies. Of course, there is still hope that we will end up seeing Cage’s Ben Gates in the future, especially if the series gets a second season.
Is Nicolas Cage In National Treasure: Edge Of History?
Back in the middle portion of the 2000s, we saw two movies that became popular among history enthusiasts. That’s because National Treasure and its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, follow a story about a history enthusiast that uses different clues left by the forefathers of America to try to solve puzzles that are connected to treasures that are said to be hidden somewhere in the country.
Helmed by Nicolas Cage, National Treasure and its sequel were able to earn themselves a cult following among different fans that actually loved the premise of the movies. Of course, the movie series is yet to get a third installment nearly two decades after the release of the first movie in 2004.
But while Nicolas Cage’s National History movie franchise is yet to see the third movie, the good news is that fans of the first two movies are able to enjoy the release of National Treasure: Edge of History, which follows an episodic format that has become quite popular among different shows in today’s era of streaming. Edge of History is available for streaming on Disney+.
The storyline of National Treasure: Edge of History follows an entirely new character named Jess Valenzuela, who goes on her own epic adventures that are connected to the secrets of her family and their relationship to American treasures. The official synopsis of the series states:
‘’Jess Valenzuela’s life is turned upside down when an enigmatic stranger gives her a clue to a centuries-old treasure that might be connected to her long-dead father.’’
Another synopsis states:
‘’Jess has a knack for solving puzzles, and her skills are put to the test as she and her friends follow a series of clues hidden in American artifacts and landmarks. But can Jess outsmart a black-market antiquities dealer in a race to find history’s greatest lost treasure and unbury the truth about her family’s past?’’
Of course, as anyone can see, the storyline of Edge of History follows a new character with her own story to tell. And that means that her storyline is quite separate and distinct from the one that Nic Cages’ Ben Gates character began in the first two movies.
While we do know that Edge of History will focus more on Jess, the entire franchise only exists due to the success of the movies in which Cage starred. So, is Nicolas Cage in National Treasure: Edge of History?
Nicolas Cage won’t be in National Treasure: Edge of History. Of course, we’re only talking about the first season of the series. That means that Cage won’t be in the first season of National Treasure: Edge of History despite the fact that Marianne Wibberley, one of the showrunners of the series, wanted him to appear in the series.
Of course, if Disney were to give the green light to Edge of History for a second season, there is a good chance that Nic Cage will appear in a cameo due to how the showrunners really want him to be in the series.
Why Isn’t Nicolas Cage In National Treasure: Edge Of History?
As mentioned, Nicolas Cage won’t be in season 1 of National Treasure: Edge of History, even though he was the most important figure in the first two movies that started this entire franchise. But why isn’t Nicolas Cage in National Treasure: Edge of History?
Well, the first reason why Cages’ Ben Gates won’t be in Edge of History is the fact that this series follows an entirely different storyline that may have similarities with the first two movies but is quite different in terms of the characters it features. That means that it seeks to follow a new adventure that is still set in the same universe as the first two movies.
But the most obvious reason why Nicolas Cage won’t be in National Treasure: Edge of History is that they couldn’t squeeze a possible cameo appearance into his busy schedule. As we all know, Nicolas Cage is one of the most active names when it comes to the movie industry, as he is seemingly always on the go and is quite busy when it comes to filming new films.
In that regard, when National Treasure: Edge of History was filming, Cage was too busy to squeeze the series into his schedule. And Wibberley was very vocal to Deadline about wanting to feature him in one episode in season 1.
“The dream is absolutely there. You know, we wanted him to be featured in an episode this season, but his schedule just didn’t work out. So, we’ll still try to get him featured in an episode if we get a second season. We’re all about Nic Cage. We love him, and we want him, at the very least, in a cameo.”
Wibberley also said:
“We’re going to beg and plead and whatever. We’ll have him in two seconds. He’s our favorite actor out of everyone. We pitched him as Ben Gates before he was Ben Gates. He was our first choice.”
Of course, Ben Gates’ story is yet to end because rumors of a third movie are still up in the air. There is still a chance that there will be a National Treasure 3 movie starring Nicolas Cage so that he could continue the storyline of the character that he started back in 2004. However, things about the movie quieted down a bit, as there are hardly any developments regarding its production.
“The phone stopped ringing,” Cage said. “It was like, ‘What do you mean we’re not doing National Treasure 3? It’s been 14 years. Why not?’ Well, Sorcerer’s Apprentice didn’t work, and Ghost Rider didn’t really sell tickets. And Drive Angry, that just came and went.”
That said, we are still hoping that Nicolas Cage will return to the franchise that he helped start. In that regard, while we are yet to confirm whether or not a third movie in the National Treasure storyline is in the works, we can only hope to see him appearing in Edge of History in the future if the series gets a second season.
