Percy Jackson-It’s All Coming Together

After a long wait, the Percy Jackson books, written by Rick Riordan, are being transformed into a television series. Previously in 2010, Riordan’s books had been turned into movies. However, when they came out, many avid readers of Percy Jackson complained that the movies did not follow the plot of the books. 

In early 2022, Riordan announced on Twitter, “The wait is over, demigods! I am thrilled to be the first to tell you that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is really, truly, and for sure coming to your screens.” This gained attraction from many audience members who have read the Percy Jackson series. There were also comments made by fans about how they hope that there are major improvements made from the last installment of movies; hopefully, the TV series will reflect more of the books. 

As of Jan. 26, the cast of the Percy Jackson series has been finalized. Some of the cast includes Walker Scobell as Percy, Leah Jeffries as Annabeth, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes. It was also released on January 26 that the actors playing Zeus and Poseidon are Lance Reddick and Toby Stephen. 

Similarly to the books by Riordan, the Percy Jackson series will focus on Percy discovering his new abilities and how to handle them, as well as accusations from Zeus in regard to his stolen lightning bolt. When Riordan talks about Toby Stephen delivering some of Poseidon’s iconic lines he says, “I got chills.” Riordan also goes on to say that when Stephen and Scobell (Percy) are walking with each other, they truly look like father and son. 

The first season of the Percy Jackson series will follow the plot of the book Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, including information about his upbringing and an oath that Poseidon made with the other “Big Three” gods. Although the release date is currently set for the year 2024, it has already gained popularity as fans await its arrival. Riordan officially set the final day of shooting to be this Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.  

In order to ensure that this adaptation of the books follows the plot, Riordan has agreed to be on set working with the directors and the cast members. After the release of the original movie, Riordan shared that it was “watching my life’s work go through a meat grinder,” so he will not be letting that happen again.   

When Parker Cote (’23) heard about the Percy Jackson series becoming a TV show he told me “I certainly hope it is better than the movies. Percy Jackson was one of my favorite book series growing up and it would be cool to finally have a decent production.” After the release of the original films, audiences mentioned how they didn’t believe it followed the plot, but rather went in its own path.

In addition to the series being in progress, Riordan also mentioned during an interview and on Twitter that there will be a new Percy Jackson Book coming out soon! For more information about the upcoming series, you can look at Twitter and online.