‘National Treasure’s Jacob Vargas Hints At Season 2: Rafael & Jess Have ’20 Years To Make Up For’ (Exclusive)

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There was a moment in the National Treasure: Edge of History finale where it looked like Rafael may not make it out alive. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Jacob Vargas about that intense finale moment where Jess, Rafael, and Liam were caught in an explosion just as they discovered the treasure.

“It was very touch and go for him, but I felt like there’s no way that Disney’s going to let Rafael go that easily,” Jacob told HollywoodLife. “There’s so much to explore. There’s so much more for Rafael and Jess. They got like 20 years to make up for. Again, they’re both brilliant treasure hunters. They’ve both been tasked with protecting this treasure, so I’m sure there’s a lot for them to do.”

Rafael and Jess got the chance to reunite after she broke him out of prison. The father and daughter have spent a significant number of years apart, but Jess has shown that she has her father’s adventurous spirit in her blood.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Jess realizes that she’s a lot more similar to her father than she thought she was as much as she didn’t want to accept it,” Jacob said. “They have this thing in them where they need adventure. They need to be rebellious, and they need to kind of live on the edge of their seats.”

If the show does get renewed for a second season, Jacob can definitely see Rafael and Jess going on “more adventures together. But at the same time, a lot of time has passed. They have to get to know each other.”

While Rafael is free, Billie is heading to prison. While it seems like Billie’s treasure-hunting days are over, Jacob told HollywoodLife that it would “be a shame to lose Catherine Zeta-Jones. It’d be great to have her back. She did such a great job with this character. She’s a black market dealer, and there are always treasures to be found. I feel like there’s more for her to do as well.” He added, “Billie and Rafael’s past to me is pretty fascinating as well.”

The first season ended on a bit of a cliffhanger that hinted at an epic new adventure to come. Liam showed up at the exhibit and revealed that he found an old cassette tape in his grandpa’s study. He didn’t reveal what was on the tape, but there’s more treasure ahead, that’s for sure.

“You have closure and now here they’re opening up a new chapter. It piques everybody’s interest. I love the ending,” Jacob said. You can stream all episodes of National Treasure: Edge of History on Disney+ now.

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