| Percy Jackson and the Olympians | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Based on | Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production location | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Cinematography | Pierre Gill |
| Production companies | |
| Distributor | Disney Platform Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney+ |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an upcoming American fantasy television series for the streaming service Disney+, based on the novel series of the same name by Rick Riordan. The series is produced by Disney Branded Television, 20th Television, and the Gotham Group.
Walker Scobell stars as Percy Jackson, alongside Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri. Development on the series began by May 2020, following a pitch by Riordan to the Walt Disney Company. Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz were announced as showrunners in July 2021, with James Bobin hired to direct the first episode in October. Scobell was cast in the lead role in January 2022, with Jeffries and Simhadri joining the cast in May. By September, Anders Engström and Jet Wilkinson were also set to direct multiple episodes of the series. Filming began in June 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia and concluded in February 2023, with additional cast members revealed throughout 2022 and 2023.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is scheduled to premiere in 2024, with the first season consisting of eight episodes.
Premise
12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson is accused by the Greek god Zeus of stealing his thunderbolt.[1]
Cast
Main
- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, a young demigod.[2]
- Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena who has been training at Camp Half-Blood for five years.[3]
- Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood, Percy's best friend and a satyr who is disguised as a 12-year-old boy.[3]
Recurring
- Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson, Percy's selfless mother.[4]
- Glynn Turman as Chiron / Mr. Brunner, a centaur disguised as Percy's Latin teacher.[4]
- Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus / Mr. D, the head of Camp Half-Blood.[4]
- Megan Mullally as Alecto / Ms. Dodds, Percy's stern mathematics teacher who serves the god Hades as one of the three Furies.[4]
- Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano, Sally's husband and Percy's stepfather.[4]
- Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue, a strong-willed daughter of Ares who bullies Percy.[5]
- Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan, a swordsman who is the counselor of the Hermes cabin.[5]
- Adam Copeland as Ares, the arrogant and daring god of war.[6]
Guest
- Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit, a blunt teacher's pet who relishes tormenting Percy.[5]
- Suzanne Cryer as Echidna, the menacing mother of monsters.[6]
- Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa, a gorgon who lives in solitude.[6]
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes, the messenger of the gods.[7]
- Jay Duplass as Hades, the god of the underworld.[8]
- Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths.[8]
- Lance Reddick as Zeus, the ferocious god of the sky whose thunderbolt has been stolen.[9]
- Toby Stephens as Poseidon, Percy's father and god of the sea who is stubborn and impulsive.[9]
Episodes
The pilot episode was written by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg,[10] with James Bobin set to direct.[11] Anders Engström will direct the third and fourth episodes while Jet Wilkinson will direct the fifth and sixth.[12]
Production
Development
In November 2018, Rick Riordan stated that he believed he would have no creative control over a Disney reboot of the Percy Jackson novel series if it were to happen, much like his experience with the film series with 20th Century Fox.[13] In December 2019, Riordan pitched an adaptation of the novels to the Walt Disney Company,[14] which had acquired Fox in March of that year.[15] By May 2020, a Disney+ series based on Percy Jackson was in the works, with the first season set to adapt the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief.[16] Riordan revealed in March 2021 that searches for the series' directors and cast was underway,[17] with James Bobin was announced as the pilot episode's director in October.[11] Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz were also announced as showrunners in July.[18]
The series was greenlit in January 2022, with Disney Branded Television, 20th Television, and the Gotham Group producing the project. Steinberg, Shotz, Bobin, and Riordan were announced as executive producers alongside Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D. J. Goldberg.[1] At the D23 Expo in September, Anders Engström and Jet Wilkinson were revealed to be executive producing the series as well.[19] The same month, Riordan revealed that Engström would direct the third and fourth episodes while Wilkinson would direct the fifth and sixth.[12]
Writing
Drafts of the pilot episode were being reviewed by March 2021.[17] In April 2021, it was announced that Steinberg would serve as co-writer and executive producer of the pilot alongside Riordan.[10] The same day, Monica Owusu-Breen, Daphne Olive, Stewart Strandberg, Zoë Neary, Joe Tracz, and Xavier Stiles joined as writers.[18] Each season of the series will adapt one installment of the book series, with the first season being an adaptation of The Lightning Thief.[17] In addition to writing the pilot, Riordan and co-showrunner Steinberg created a series bible for the show, as well as planning the plot for the first season and creating ideas for potential future seasons.[18]
Casting
Preliminary casting began in April 2021.[20] In January 2022, Walker Scobell was cast in the lead role as Percy Jackson, with this being announced in April.[2] The next month, it was announced that Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri would respectively portray Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, two close friends of Percy.[3] Jeffries' casting received online backlash due to Annabeth not being depicted as Black in the novels, which Riordan condemned as racism.[21] In June, Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally, and Timm Sharp were announced to be appearing in recurring capacities as Sally Jackson, Chiron, Dionysus, Alecto, and Gabe Ugliano, respectively.[4] The same month, Dior Goodjohn and Charlie Bushnell joined the cast in recurring roles as Clarisse La Rue and Luke Castellan, respectively, while Olivea Morton was announced to portray Nancy Bobofit in a guest role.[5] Adam Copeland was cast in the recurring role of Ares in October, while Suzanne Cryer and Jessica Parker Kennedy were cast in the guest roles of Echidna and Medusa, respectively.[6] In November 2022, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jay Duplass, and Timothy Omundson were announced to guest-star as Hermes, Hades, and Hephaestus, respectively;[7][8] as were Lance Reddick and Toby Stephens in January 2023, announced to portray Zeus and Poseidon, respectively.[9]
Filming
Principal photography began on June 2, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia,[4][11] under the working title Mink Golden,[22] and concluded on February 2, 2023.[23] The series utilized an LED stage powered by Industrial Light & Magic's StageCraft visual effects technology.[24]
Marketing
A teaser for the series was revealed during the D23 Expo in September 2022.[25] Rotem Rusak of Nerdist highlighted how the teaser featured the opening lines of The Lightning Thief,[26] while Kendall Myers of Collider noted the teaser's dark tone.[27]
Release
The series will be released on Disney+[16] in 2024,[28] with the first season consisting of eight episodes.[29] In July 2022, Riordan stated that the series would likely be released around early 2024,[30] a timeframe which was confirmed in September.[28]
References
- ^ a b Baysinger, Tim (January 25, 2022). "'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Series Ordered at Disney+". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (April 11, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Disney Plus Series Casts 'Adam Project' Star Walker Scobell in Lead Role (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Porter, Rick (May 5, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Casts 2 Key Roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Otterson, Joe (June 2, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Adds Five to Cast, Including Megan Mullally and Jason Mantzoukas (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Otterson, Joe (June 21, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Adds Three to Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Otterson, Joe (October 13, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Casts Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer, Jessica Parker Kennedy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (November 7, 2022). "Lin-Manuel Miranda To Play Hermes In 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians' Disney+ Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ a b c Humphrey, Julia (November 18, 2022). "'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Finds Its Hades and Hephaestus". Collider. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c Otterson, Joe (January 26, 2023). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Casts Lance Reddick, Toby Stephens (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Fisher, Jacob (April 27, 2021). "Percy Jackson Disney+ Series Finds Co-Writer with 'Black Sails' Creator (Exclusive)". DiscussingFilm. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c Oddo, Marco Vito (October 25, 2021). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Has Found Its Pilot Director". Collider. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ a b Riordan, Rick (September 17, 2022). "Back in Vancouver!". Rick Riordan. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Riordan, Rick (November 12, 2018). "Memories from my TV/Movie Experience". Rick Riordan. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ Rought, Karen (December 1, 2019). "'Percy Jackson' reboot may happen at Disney, according to Rick Riordan". Hypable. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
- ^ Szalai, Georg; Bond, Paul (March 20, 2019). "Disney Closes $71.3 Billion Fox Deal, Creating Global Content Powerhouse". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (May 14, 2020). "'Percy Jackson' Series In The Works At Disney+". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Holub, Christian (June 14, 2021). "Rick Riordan says Percy Jackson series from Disney+ 'still moving forward'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Riordan, Rick (July 13, 2021). "Vroom, Vroom in the Writers' Room". Rick Riordan. Archived from the original on July 15, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (September 10, 2022). "'Percy Jackson & The Olympians' Trailer: Disney+ Teases First Look Of Series At D23 Expo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- ^ Santer, Kristen (April 28, 2021). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Is Now Casting, Reveals Author Rick Riordan". Collider. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (May 10, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Author Rick Riordan Slams Racist Backlash Against Leah Jeffries' Casting as Annabeth". Variety. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ Crowley, Liam (August 22, 2022). "Rick Riordan Shares New Percy Jackson Image Ahead of Big Production Week". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ Humphrey, Julia (February 2, 2023). "'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Wraps Filming". Collider. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (June 28, 2022). "'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Takes ILM Virtual Production Route (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ Chapman, Wilson (September 11, 2022). "'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Series Gets First Look at D23 Expo". Variety. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ Rusak, Rotem (September 12, 2022). "Percy Jackson Series Teaser Trailer Reveals Book Accurate Outing". Nerdist. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ Myers, Kendall (September 14, 2022). "'Percy Jackson' Trailer Breakdown: Camp Half-Blood Has a New Arrival". Collider. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ a b "Watch Percy Jackson and the Olympians". Disney+. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ Ridgely, Charlie (April 4, 2022). "Percy Jackson Creator Reveals Episode Count for New TV Series". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (July 25, 2022). "Percy Jackson Disney+ Series Might Not Arrive Until 2024, Rick Riordan Warns". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
