THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'National Treasure' 18 years later

• "National Treasure" hit theaters 18 years ago, and Disney+ is releasing a sequel series this month.

• The majority of the cast, including Nicolas Cage, had strong careers before and after the movie.

• Diane Kruger has had some major film roles, and Justin Bartha will reprise his role as Riley Poole.

Nicolas Cage was an Oscar-winning actor before joining the cast.

Prior to starring as Benjamin Franklin Gates, Cage was already a movie star.

He got his start in films like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), "Moonstruck" (1987), "Face/Off" (1997), and "Adaptation." (2002).

He also won an Oscar for best actor for "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995).

Cage continues to star in several popular projects.

Cage starred in the sequel, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2007), and went on to films like "Ghost Rider" (2007), "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (2010), "The Croods" (2013), and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018).

More recently, he appeared in "Pig" (2021), and his latest film, "Butcher's Crossing" (2022), just premiered at Chicago International Film Festival.

Justin Bartha was still getting his start in Hollywood when he was cast as Riley.

Bartha had just a few credits under his belt, including "Gigli" (2003), before landing the role of Riley Poole in "National Treasure."

Bartha went on to star in a popular trilogy as well as a few TV series.

After "National Treasure," Bartha appeared in "Failure to Launch" (2006) and on NBC's "Teachers" before starring in the hit comedy "The Hangover" (2009) and both its sequels.

He also returned for "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Bartha starred on shows like NBC's "The New Normal," CBS' "The Good Fight," and Epix's "Godfather of Harlem."

The actor recently appeared in "Dear Zoe" (2022), and he's set to reprise his role as Riley Poole on the upcoming Disney+ series "National Treasure: Edge of History."

Diane Kruger had a few performances under her belt before "National Treasure."

Kruger started acting in the early 2000s, appearing in films like "The Piano Player" (2002), "Troy" (2004), and "Narco" (2004) before playing Abigail Chase.

Kruger continues to have a strong career today.

Kruger also returned for "Book of Secrets," and she starred in "Inglorious Basterds" (2009), "The Host" (2013), and "Welcome to Marwen" (2018).

She also worked on FX's "The Bridge"

Recently, Kruger starred in "The 355" (2022), "First Love" (2022), and "Out of the Blue" (2022).

Sean Bean started acting decades before the movie.

Before playing Ian Howe in "National Treasure," Bean was known for movies like "How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989), "Patriot Games" (1992), "Anna Karenina" (1997), and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

He also appeared in "Troy" alongside Kruger.

Bean continues to star in movies and on TV today.

Since "National Treasure," Bean is perhaps best known for his role as Eddard "Ned" Stark on HBO's "Game of Thrones."

But he also went on to big projects like "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" (2010), "Mirror Mirror" (2012), "Jupiter Ascending" (2015), and "The Martian" (2015).

More recently, he starred on TNT's "Snowpiercer" and BBC One's "Marriage."

Jon Voight was already a legendary actor before starring as Patrick Gates.

Voight has been acting since the 1960s, appearing in big movies like "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), "Deliverance" (1972), "Coming Home" (1978), "Heat" (1995), and "Mission: Impossible" (1996).

Before taking on his role in "National Treasure," he also worked on "Zoolander" (2001), "Ali" (2001), and "Holes" (2003).

Voight works mainly in film today.

After wrapping the movie, Voight went on to "Transformers" (2007), "Tropic Thunder" (2008), and "Four Christmases" (2008). He also returned as Patrick Gates in "Book of Secrets."

Outside of film, the actor appeared on Fox's "24" and Showtime's "Ray Donovan."

In more recent years, he's starred in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016) and "Dangerous Games: The Legacy Murders" (2022).

Harvey Keitel has also been working in Hollywood since the 1960s.

Keitel is well known for several popular films, including "Taxi Driver" (1976), "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988), "Thelma & Louise" (1991), and "Reservoir Dogs" (1992).

He also appeared in "Sister Act" (1992), "Pulp Fiction" (1994), and "From Dusk Till Dawn" (1996).

Keitel continues to work steadily in Hollywood.

Apart from appearing in the "National Treasure" sequel, Keitel went on to "Little Fockers" (2010) and "The Irishman" (2019).

He's also been in a number of Wes Anderson films, including "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012), "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), and "Isle of Dogs" (2018).

Most recently, the actor starred in "Lansky" (2021) and appeared on Hulu's "Mike."

Christopher Plummer had nearly 150 credits to his name before his bit role in "National Treasure."

Plummer, who plays Ben's grandfather in an opening scene, started acting in the 1950s and is perhaps best known for playing Captain Georg von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" (1965).

He also had a successful career on Broadway, starting in 1954 with the play "The Starcross Story." He went on to perform iconic Shakespeare roles on the stage, including Macbeth and King Lear.

The actor also made several TV appearances in his early career, including on CBS' "The Web" and "Omnibus."

Plummer starred in popular movies like "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "Malcolm X" (1992), and "A Beautiful Mind" (2001). He was also a prominent voice actor, with credits in "An American Tail" (1986), the "Madeline" franchise, and "Babes in Toyland" (1997).

Plummer worked steadily until his death in 2021.

After "National Treasure," Plummer worked on "Must Love Dogs" (2005), "Up" (2009), "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2011), "All the Money in the World" (2017), and "Knives Out" (2019).

Before his death at the age of 91, he also starred on Peacock's "Departure."

His final, posthumous role is a voice part in the upcoming animated film "Heroes of the Golden Masks."

Read the original article on Insider