The Percy Jackson Show's Episode Titles Are A Love Letter To Readers
Longtime fans will be so happy.
Fans have been begging for another Percy Jackson and the Olympians adaptation since Logan Lerman left the role of the titular teen demigod in 2013. Although the books by author Rick Riordan were massively popular — selling more than 20 million copies worldwide between 2005 and 2015 — and the movies made upwards of $400 million, the adaptations were generally disliked by fans and critics alike. Now, Disney+ plans to revamp the material with a TV show following Riordan’s book series. Here’s everything you need to know about Disney+’s Percy Jackson series, including who’s in the new cast, the release date, and the adrenaline-pumping trailers.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which is comprised of five books, became a favorite of kids across the world in the 2000s and 2010s thanks to Riordan’s expert blend of relatable teenage foibles and Greek mythology. The main character, Percy, has ADHD and dyslexia, which makes him somewhat of an outcast at school. But his disabilities turn out to be part of what makes Percy strong and uniquely prepared to be a demigod — his dyslexia, for example, is revealed to be because of his natural understanding of the ancient Greek language.
The series, which was officially greenlit by Disney+ in January 2022, could follow a multitude of plot points, including Percy realizing he’s a demigod, being accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt, stopping the gods from destroying everything, or sailing across the Sea of Monsters, but fans can be sure it will include a lot of Percy defending his friends and family and restoring order to the universe. Luckily, both Riordan and his wife Becky are on the show’s writing staff, which has made fans of the books hopeful that they will finally get the true adaptation they’ve been hoping for.
The New Demigods In Town
The original Percy Jackson films had quite the cast, from newbies who have now become famous like Logan Lerman (who played Percy) and Alexandra Daddario (who played Annabeth), to titans of the industry like Kevin McKidd, Pierce Brosnan, and Uma Thurman.
On April 11, 2022, Riordan announced the star of Disney+’s Percy Jackson, Walker Scobell. Like Lerman was when he first began playing the demigod, Scobell is relatively new to acting. But Scobell, like the character Percy, is much younger at age 13, whereas Lerman was 18 when filming the first adaptation. In a blog post on his website, Riordan shared that he got to break the casting announcement to Scobell himself, writing, "It was obvious to me and the rest of the team that Walker had the perfect mix of comedic timing, sweetness, rebelliousness, snark, and heroism to embody our hero Percy Jackson."
Audiences may recognize Scobell from his leading role in Ryan Reynolds’ sci-fi adventure film, The Adam Project. He also starred in the adventure film Secret Headquarters with Owen Wilson.
On May 5, Percy’s two besties were finally cast. Leah Sava Jeffries will play Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena, and Aryan Simhadri will play Grover Underwood, a satyr.
The roles of Annabeth and Grover were originally played by Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson in the Percy Jackson movies. After the casting announcement, Daddario expressed her support for Jeffries taking on the role.
The Series Is Arriving Soon
The first two episodes of Percy Jackson will premiere on Dec. 20 on Disney+. The rest of the show’s eight episodes will drop weekly each following Wednesday.
The Trailers Are Visual Marvels
Disney+ dropped the first look at Percy Jackson on Sept. 10, posting a snippet of Percy first entering Camp Half-Blood, the safe haven and training grounds for young demigods.
The full series trailer came a month later, showing off over two minutes of Percy’s discovery of his heritage, his training at Camp Half—Blood, and his epic battles with iconic monsters like Medusa, the manticore, and more.
The Episode Titles Are Straight From The Book
As a real testament to how faithful this new show will be to Riordan’s books, each episode shares its title with a chapter from The Lightning Thief, the first book in the novel series. Longtime readers will instantly recognize all eight episode titles as being pivotal chapters in the debut novel.
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