Throughout the late 2000s, the book series “Percy Jackson” was published, centering around the quests and adventures of the titular 12-year-old son of Poseidon. It quickly gained attention from readers of all ages, spawning spinoffs and two infamous movies in the early 2010s.
Rumors of a television adaptation began to swirl in mid-2020, sending the Internet into a frenzy. Immediately, speculation arose surrounding release dates, casting and pretty much anything surrounding the series. However, even two years on, details are still rather scarce. Here is everything to know about the Disney+ Percy Jackson series:
The three main demigods have already been cast
One of the largest sources of speculation was about who would be playing the titular Percy and his best friends, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood. However, in mid-2022, the three were announced. Percy Jackson will be played by Walker Scobell, who, at just thirteen years old, has already made a name for himself by playing a younger Ryan Reynolds in “The Adam Project.” In addition, Leah Sava Jeffries of “Empire” and Aryan Simhadri of “Cheaper by the Dozen” will play Annabeth and Grover, respectively.
Three of the Olympians have also been cast
Another source of speculation (and fancasts ranging from interesting to questionable) is about who will play the Olympians. However, three of the Olympians have been cast. Camp Half-Blood’s head of camp, Dionysus, is set to be played by Greek-American actor Jason Mantzoukas. Ares, the god of war, will be played by Adam Copeland, better known by his wrestling pseudonym, “Edge.” Finally, Hermes is set to be played by Lin Manuel Miranda, which has already spawned countless memes.
It’s going to be more book-accurate than the movies
The Percy Jackson movies are infamous for being extremely inaccurate; not following plotlines, drastically aging up the characters and changing up dynamics. However, Rick Riordan, the author of the series who famously despises the movies, has stated that he is going to be much more involved in the series, making it more accurate to the books. We can already see this in the way that the actors playing Percy, Annabeth and Grover are much closer in age to the books. Furthermore, it is also very visible in the trailer.
It’s likely going to come out in early 2024
Riordan also stated that the series is currently being shot, and that production will wrap up in late 2022, allowing for post-production throughout 2023. While it’s only an estimate and not an official release date, fans can likely expect the eight-episode first season in early 2024.
