Rick Riordan reports on the casting of the upcoming series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” he says his main trio will be announced soon.
Author Rick Riordan reports that the cast of the upcoming TV adaptation of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” will be announced soon. The bestselling series of the same name tells of the protagonist Percy Jackson, a young demigod who embarks on an adventure to prevent the Titans from destroying the world in the 21st century. In 2020, Riordan announced that Disney would be releasing a new live show that would premiere on its streaming platform, and that the first season would be dedicated to “The Lightning Thief”. The author also explained that he will be involved in the development of the series, will share updates on his personal website and most recently confirmed that production of the Disney+ adaptation will begin in June in Vancouver, Canada.
Fans of the source material are likely familiar with the 20th Century Fox movie adaptations, the first of which, “The Lightning Thief,” was released in 2010, and “Sea of Monsters” — three years later. While both projects were successful at the box office, they were criticized for the general treatment of the original novels, and Riordan also expressed disappointment at the changes made to his stories. However, fans enjoyed the appearances of Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson, and news of the upcoming series caused many to turn to social media to campaign for their entry, sparking discussions about his casting. Addressing some of the rumors, Riordan said he had no idea if the actors from the Percy Jackson movies would return for another role, but added that the goal of the new series was to start from scratch.
Now Riordan has posted another update on his website, this time writing that the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series has nearly three main characters, Percy, Grover and Annabeth. He also explains that he cannot reveal anything related to casting until all necessary deals are made. He goes on to say that they’ve been looking for other characters, but they’re in the early stages of this process. Check out Riordan’s quote below about when he thinks the cast announcement will be released:
“Just a guess, I’d say we’ve got at least a few more weeks before we can announce anything, and when we announce the three main characters, we’ll probably announce them all at once (but that’s ONLY my personal guess). †
Riordan’s participation in the upcoming film adaptation has thrilled fans hoping to see the best embodiment of his novels on screen. Another previous update from the author was the hiring of James Bobin to direct the first episode. Bobin’s recent works include the films Alice through the Looking Glass and Dora and the Lost Golden City, and Riordan said he knows the material well. The author also teased the design of some of the decorations, calling them beautiful and sharing that fans will be delighted.
Riordan’s documentation of the entire process involved in the creation of this series, and his enthusiasm for it, should be additional proof to fans that the new adaptation is in safe hands. Shooting should begin soon, and “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” will be heading to Disney+ soon. Fans can look forward to new news as it comes out and can keep up with Riordan as he continues to monitor the show’s progress.