Move over Ben Gates, someone else is on the hunt for treasure! Disney Branded Television and Disney+ announced on Monday that Catherine Zeta-Jones will play a leading series regular role in the upcoming National Treasure series.
The Academy Award-winning actress, 52, is set to play Billie in the forthcoming Disney+ show. Catherine’s character is described as a “bad*ss billionaire, black-market antiquities expert, and treasure hunter who lives by her own code. She transformed herself from a penniless orphan to a shrewd, stylish businesswoman and adventurer.”
“Billie’s used to getting what she wants—and she wants the Pan-American treasure. But not just for the money. This treasure has deeper stakes for her,” Disney+ revealed in a press release.
The live-action series is an expansion of the National Treasure movie franchise, which starred Nicolas Cage as treasure hunter Benjamin Gates. The new Disney+ program is centered on a young heroine named Jess, played by Lisette Alexis. Jess, a brilliant and resourceful DREAMer, embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to uncover the truth about her family’s mysterious past and to save a lost Pan-American treasure.
The National Treasure series cast also includes Zuri Reed, Jordan Rodrigues, Antonio Cipriano and Jake Austin Walker, who will portray as Jess’ friends “whom she recruits to help uncover the truth about her parents and their connection to the treasure,” in addition to Lyndon Smith. Disney+ revealed on Feb. 7 that production is set to begin this month in Baton Rouge.