Nicolas Cage anchors the cast of the National Treasure films.
About National Treasure
The film National Treasure hit movie theaters back in 2004 as an action/adventure film with a plot centered on U.S. history and the Knights Templar. Though the film was met with good and bad reviews, everyone agreed that it was a fun, family-friendly film and it seems that most moviegoers agreed.
The original film's budget was a whopping $100 million and its gross to date is nearly $350 million. A second installment of the film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets hit the theaters in 2007 and was also a huge box office success with a budget of $130 million and its receipts at over $450 million. Though Disney has not yet given the official confirmation for a third and fourth movie in the series, the company has already registered domain names for the third and fourth installments. The cast of National Treasure has so far remained the same.
Members of the Cast of National Treasure
There is no doubt that Nicolas Cage has made more than a few films that turned out to be flops (remember Bangkok Dangerous?) so sometimes people forget that he's an Oscar Award winning actor. Cage heads up the cast of National Treasure, which includes two more Oscar winners, Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel.
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage plays the role of historian Ben Gates who comes from a family of treasure hunters. Gates is a bit of an overachiever; here are the character's credentials:
- American History degree from Georgetown
- Mechanical Engineering degree from MIT
- A Navy Diving and Salvage Training school graduate
Diane Kruger
Diane Kruger gained notice as an actress when she played the role of Helen in the 2004 film Troy. In National Treasure the German actress plays the role of Dr. Abigail Chase. At first, Chase attempts to stop Ben from stealing the Declaration of Independence, but then ends up joining him on his treasure hunting quest.
Justin Bartha
Before playing the role of Ben Gates' best friend and cohort, Riley Poole, in National Treasure, Bartha had small roles in films like Failure to Launch and the notorious bomb Gigli. His more recent films include The Hangover and the sequel, The Hangover 2, set for release in 2011.
Jon Voight
Veteran actor Jon Voight plays the role of Ben Gates' (Nicolas Cage) father, Patrick Gates. In the beginning of the film, Patrick Gates does not believe in his son's quest to find the treasure because he thought that treasure hunting lead to the ruin of the Gates' family's reputation.
Sean Bean
English actor Sean Bean plays the role of Ben Gates' rival Ian Howe. Bean is known for his villainous Hollywood roles. Some of them include:
- Sean Miller - A terrorist for the Irish Republican Army in Patriot Games.
- Alex Trevelayn - James Bond's nemesis in Golden Eye.
- Patrick Koster - A kidnapper in Don't Say a Word.
- Jason Locke - An ex-con who beat his wife in Essex Boys.
Harvey Keitel
Another veteran actor and Oscar winner rounds out the starring cast of the film National Treasure. Harvey Keitel plays the role of FBI agent Peter Sadusky, who is steadily chasing down Nicolas Cage throughout the film in an attempt to get the Declaration of Independence back to Independence Hall.
A Continuing Series
Both National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets may have been widely panned by critics, but at the box office, they were hugely successful films. Fans of the films were left wanting more after Book of Secrets had a bit of a cliffhanger ending. Rumors have been swirling that the third installment was set for release sometime in 2010, but word is that the script is not yet complete. Fans may have to wait just a bit longer to the questions left unanswered in Book of Secrets.
