2022 has been another killer year for television. One of the biggest surprises on the small screen has been National Treasure: Edge of History. The Disney+ series that continues the popular adventure franchise, once led by Nicolas Cage, debuted earlier this month. In just three episodes so far, it proved this long-forgotten treasure hunting series still has a lot of life in it. It has the fun, adventurous spirit of the original, the new cast is delightful, and the series retains the film’s underrated musical score. However, one of the coolest parts of the series thus far has been seeing all the connections to the larger NT universe. There have been countless nods and Easter eggs to make any fan want to gleefully go on a treasure hunt of their own. However, the next episode has the series’ biggest connection yet and his name is Riley Poole, played by Justin Bartha. To build anticipation for episode 4, Disney released a new clip teasing Bartha’s return, and it has a connection to NT’s biggest mystery. What’s on “Page 47”?
The clip, which was exclusively debuted by Entertainment Weekly, sees Jess (Lisette Olivera) and Tesha (Zuri Reed) attending Liam Sadusky’s (Jake Austin Walker) grandfather’s funeral. Liam’s the grandson of Agent Sadusky (Harvey Keitel) who mysteriously died after sending Jess on a quest to find a treasure that has deep family ties to her father. However, the main hook of this scene is that Riley attends the funeral, in his first appearance in this series, and introduces himself to our new generation of treasure hunters. Liam mentions that Riley’s retired, which the famous treasure author refutes by mentioning that he’s been working with Ben for the last 15 years on a secret project. Ben Gates is, of course, Cage’s character from the films. When asked if he’s on another treasure hunt, Riley teased, “Let’s just say, there’s 47 reasons to be interested.”
This should set alarm bells off in any long-time fan’s head. Page 47 was in the “Book of Secrets”, the main McGuffin of the second film that held a clue to the location of the secret Lost City of Gold. This led to one of the most talked about scenes of the entire franchise where Ben and his team kidnap the President of the United States played by Bruce Greenwood. When the adventure ended, the final scene had the President asking what was on Page 47 which Ben only teased as “life-altering”. For 15 years fans have been left wondering what was on that page and waiting for a sequel that never came. However, it looks like this scene is finally letting fans know answers are coming. Whether it be in this series or a film sequel remains to be seen, but this is another great example that this series is not wasting the name of this franchise. It genuinely cares about its namesake. If you’re a fan of the franchise and haven’t started the series yet, answers to Page 47 might pique your interest.
In its first three episodes, Edge of History has effortlessly recaptured the endlessly entertaining heart of this beloved franchise. Jess and her friends perfectly embody the Indiana Jones-inspired antics of the original films. Also, just because it’s on streaming doesn’t mean the show has forgotten its epic “steal the Declaration of Independence” roots/scale. The last episode had us breaking into Elvis Presley‘s Graceland as they found out he was a Freemason. This led to a classic NT heist involving Elvis’ secret room and a cryptic message read by the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” transcribed on a fake golden record. That’s the same message that Jess tell’s Riley in the clip, but, in typical Riley fashion, he is hilariously having a bit of trouble figuring out the clue. If only Ben was here to help him figure it out. Given that the page has resurfaced and Ben is mentioned by name, Cage’s return to this franchise might be imminent.
National Treasure: Edge of History’s next episode premieres this Wednesday on Disney+. While we anxiously await Riley’s return, answers to Page 47, and a possible National Treasure 3, you can watch the new clip down below. You can also read EW’s full coverage of the clip on their website.
