Is Disney Punishing ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ For Being Too “Woke”?

The series that gave avid Nicolas Cage and National Treasure fans hope (after 15 years of waiting for another treasure hunt project from Disney) has unfortunately met its end early on — and some people think that the show’s progressive qualities were its downfall.

The National Treasure film series was initially a fairly straightforward premise. Nicolas Cage played treasure hunter (or as he would say, “treasure protector”) Benjamin Gates, a man who was on a mission to find the Templars’ Treasure amidst hundreds of years of clues from Freemasons like Benjamin Franklin.

The first National Treasure movie was a hit for Disney back in 2004, leading to a sequel (National Treasure: Book of Secrets) in 2007 that also did well with audiences.

Disney seemed determined to cash in on more National Treasure goodness with this new series, and the show had promise since it focused on an entirely different treasure hunt in a Pan-American setting instead of a New England-focused or Founding Father-focused setting.

Catherine Zeta-Jones also upped the ante by playing the villain, named Billie, and the show was a hit in the eyes of many of its viewers and Disney+ subscribers — but not even the presence of Hollywood royalty could, unfortunately, keep this show from cancellation.

According to this article, plot holes or bad acting were not the cancellation reason, either; instead, cancellation allegedly loomed overhead because the show was too “woke.”

One of the biggest plot points in this new National Treasure series is protagonist Jess’s status as an undocumented worker and a DREAMer with DACA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Jess’s undocumented status and DACA affiliation are brought up multiple times on the show.

Rumors are swirling about Jess’s status as a DREAMer with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and its potential as the cause for the show’s cancellation — or at least, its potential as the cause for the show’s presumably-low numbers after its premiere on Disney+.

There are (surprisingly) no same-sex relationships happening in the show, which has previously been (according to experts) a stumbling block for Disney with its more recent films. There are, however, plenty of references to current issues or racism.

The exact causes for Disney’s cancellation of National Treasure: Edge of History may never be revealed to the public — and if the reason is simply that not enough people watched the show on Disney+, then the reason for that low success rate might also never be revealed.

However, we recently saw Disney make a drastic shift when it came to the new Lilo & Stitch adaptation due to negative audience feedback, so who knows? If more people decide to give this National Treasure spin-off a try on Disney+, perhaps we’ll be hearing good news about future treasure hunts!