It’s been nearly a decade since the premiere of two largely disappointing film adaptations of the Percy Jackson books produced by 20th Century Fox. Since then, it’s understandable why the fandom has been skeptical and cautious of the idea of any other live-action renditions.
Back in the spring of 2020, news of a Disney+ show was announced and hopes of an accurate representation blew up. Seeing as author Rick Riordan apparently didn’t even bother watching the movies, the fact that he personally confirmed the news on Twitter was reason for celebration.
However, it’s been six months since the announcement, and fans are getting restless with the lack of information. Thankfully, Riordan has provided a few updates on his website that should ease any fans’ worries.
- Riordan will be involved in every decision
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One of the biggest appeals of the Disney+ series is that the author himself will be working very closely throughout the entire process. Rick Riordan and his wife Becky Riordan will be full producers. While he obviously won’t have full control of everything that happens, this is a major step up from the 2010 films, where he had virtually no say in the development. Yay for collaboration!
- First season will adapt ‘The Lightning Thief’
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The first season of the show is being designed to follow the plot of The Lightning Thief. The book follows Percy Jackson as he learns he is a demigod and journeys across the country in search of Zeus’ lightning bolt. But wait, there’s more! The series seems to be destined to take a Game of Thrones approach, adapting one book per season. Riordan wrote on his website, “The idea is that subsequent seasons would each follow a book, so ideally, that would mean five seasons, following the five books of PJO.” Honestly, this is just how all book series adaptations should be!
- The pilot script is in the works
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According to Riordan, the show is in the very early stages of conception. That’s why it may seem like they’re taking forever to get off the ground. Riordan even said we may not even have a premiere until two years from now! I will grow old with age waiting. But fear not! The show already has a full team working and a finished script. Currently, they’re just waiting for a top executive’s decision. “Everyone who has read the pilot script loves it, but there will be a few additional tweaks we need to make before we send it off to its next stop: the top execs at Disney+. That’s normal.” It seems like they’re on the right track so far!
- Logan Lerman is interested
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Although an official cast is far from being announced, that hasn’t stopped people from fan casting who they’d love to see play their favorite characters. The most popular pick? Logan Lerman as Poseidon! He’s the perfect example of right person, wrong time, as he was cast as an older Percy Jackson in the 2010 films. Lerman has said that he is interested in the role if the opportunity was presented to him. Fingers crossed!
While the show still has a long way to go, I’m positive Riordan and the rest of the team are hard at work to bring us the best adaptation possible.