While Rick Riordan's involvement in the show is an advantage, Percy Jackson and the Olympians faces a major CGI challenge even Riordan can't entirely fix. The new Disney+ show is based on Riordan's book series, which follows a Greek demigod, Percy Jackson, and his friends on their many adventures. The books are full of Greek mythology, including many creatures like satyrs, nymphs, and centaurs. Given the fantastical nature of the books and Riordan's determination to create a faithful adaptation, the show will likely have to heavily feature CGI for the many scenes practical effects cannot depict.
The three main characters from the books are Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri). These three are set to be on-screen the most, but Simhadri's character Grover presents the show's biggest CGI challenge. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is already making up for the Percy Jackson movie mistakes by including specific details like Annabeth's Yankees cap. Therefore, it's likely Riordan, and many Percy Jackson fans, will want a book-accurate Grover, satyr legs and all. The trouble with Grover's CGI legs is that it will eat into the budget; however, there may be a way to compromise.
Why Grover Needing CGI Is Such A Budget Problem
Disney+ reportedly gave Percy Jackson and the Olympians a similar budget to MCU and Star Wars shows (via We Got This Covered). Despite the large budget, having a main character that's half CGI will be a budget problem. She-Hulk is an excellent example of a Disney+ show with a large budget that still had difficulty with the main character's CGI. Riordan's Percy Jackson universe could rival the MCU one day, but they're starting with the bar set extremely high. A large budget will help, but Grover's legs aren't the only CGI needed, so they must make concessions.
How The Disney+ Percy Jackson Show Can Balance Grover's CGI
Like in She-Hulk, when she turns back into Jennifer, Percy Jackson and the Olympians can hide Grover's legs. In the books, mortals are unaware the Greek myths are real, so when Grover goes on adventures with Percy and Annabeth, he hides his legs. Another way to avoid using CGI would be writing in reasons as to why Grover has to hide his legs, even when mortals aren't around. The Percy Jackson show will feature new scenes, so if Riordan is willing to make changes to better the show, then he can write ways around Grover's legs.
Grover's CGI challenge isn't necessarily a concern aesthetically speaking. Knowing the Disney+ show will have a Marvel-sized budget and Rick Riordan's approval means Grover's CGI legs may look perfect, but the trouble is time and money. The VFX artists will need enough of both to produce great work, but with Grover's significant screen time, they may not have enough of either. Therefore, the best way to solve Percy Jackson and the Olympians' CGI issue is by compromising and writing in clever ways to hide Grover's satyr legs, and that way, there is enough time and money to bring Riordan's magical world to life.