Fans of the Percy Jackson book series are a little more than wary when it comes to the idea of the series getting a live-action rendition. This is due to the two films produced by 20th Century Fox back in 2010 and 2013, which were widely disliked by fans.
Apparently, Rick Riordan, author of the series, didn't even watch the movies because he knew that the direction they took the film was just so inaccurate. But after the acquisition, Disney now owns the rights to Percy Jackson and wants to try their hand at a live-action series, with the hopes of it being a more accurate representation.
Updated July 20th, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: The Percy Jackson TV series has gone into full development and things are really shaping up. As Disney+ continues to have success with their live-action shows, the mythological show could very well be the next big thing for the streaming platform. Fans of the books will be thrilled to hear about all the hard work going into this exciting fantasy project.
Rick & Becky Riordan Are Working On It
One of the biggest aspects of the Disney+ Percy Jackson series is that the author of the book series, Rick Riordan, and his wife, Becky, will be working on it. They are a part of the entire process from scripts to casting and even direction.
Riordan didn't really have a say in the 2010 film, so this is huge, as he will be able to approve or disapprove ideas and try to keep it as consistent as he thinks is right. The author is still writing books while creating the series, which is why information has also been a bit slow.
Live-Action
The Percy Jackson series will also definitely be a live-action rendition. It will pretty much be an entire rewrite of the original films, which is good for fans who hated the original two.
This also means that the show will probably be pretty high quality, like that of The Mandalorian, filled with amazing sets and some wonderfully crafted CGI to show the Greek Gods in all of their glory. Disney+ hasn't really dove into animated originals yet and seeing Percy, Annabeth, and Grover in live-action, how Riordan wants them to be, will be fantastic.
First Season Based On The Lightning Thief
The first season of the show is set to be based on The Lightning Thief. It will follow Percy as he learns that he is the son of Poseidon and his first encounter with Camp Half-Blood. The season should cover his journey around America to clear his father's name and search for a way into the underworld, which is where Percy believes Zeus's lightning bolt is being held.
While Percy, Grover, and Annabeth are on their quest, they end up encountering the Greek God Ares more than a few times. Ares acts as one of the main villains in the first novel and isn't even seen in the film adaptation. Here's hoping fans get to see the God of War in action.
A Book A Season
That being said, each season is supposed to cover one of the books. This means, if the series is successful, it will be five seasons long. A book a season seems pretty great for a live-action series, as it won't have to rush through events like a movie might have to.
Instead of two hours to cover nearly 400 pages, the adaptation should have closer to eight hours (based on the runtime and episode count from The Mandalorian seasons).
First Five Books
The series is set to cover the first five books within the Percy Jackson book series. Percy Jackson and the Olympians comprised of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.
Riordan made a number of other books after the initial five that still follow Percy, but introduce new characters and stories to go along with it. It is also possible that if this series does well, they may even make follow-up series based on the others such as The Heroes of Olympus or The Trials of Apollo.
No Kane Chronicles Crossover
The Kane Chronicles are another series of books written by Rick Riordan, based upon Egyptian mythology. They are as well-received as the other works of Riordan and actually cross over with the Percy Jackson franchise in a number of ways. Disney isn't building a cinematic universe though.
It was revealed that Netflix had actually purchased the rights to the books and was starting to develop a series of films based on this fantasy saga. That means that the likelihood of a crossover ever happening on screen is slim to none; but Riordan's other works can't be ruled out yet.
Younger Percy
One of the biggest issues with the 2010 films was that Percy was immensely aged up. The book series begins with Percy being 12 years old, and his age comes into play a lot.
He grows up to be a hero in his own right, while still being so young. Riordan has made sure that this series will follow his original work and will introduce Percy as a young boy around the age of 12. This will be beneficial also to the series, as with each season, Percy (and his actor) will be just a little bit older.
Learning Lessons From Previous Films
As previously mentioned, there has been a lot of feedback to the creative team behind the new series about the failures and successes of the Percy Jackson live-action movies. This is all being taken into account by Disney who are looking in a different direction.
There's clearly a lot of ways that they can improve upon what has come before and many of the other decisions that have been made on this show certainly go a long way to address these problems. Indeed, the concept of a TV series itself is already a great step for the franchise.
Developed The Pilot
Riordan had stated that they had been working on the script for the pilot episode. On November 24th 2020, Becky Riordan tweeted that the pilot episode script has officially been submitted to the high ups for review.
Becky stated that the process is incredibly slow, so even this is news. Once a script receives notes and is approved, it'll be on to the next episode for the entire team. It seems like they had been working on the script for a while, and adaptation is a slow process, they are making sure that everything is perfect. It was eventually approved by Disney.
The Writer's Room Has Begun
After the pilot episode had been approved by the house of mouse, Disney started opening up a writers room with the talented team linked to the project. Rick Riordan has revealed that he is also a part of the writer's room and will remain a part of the team throughout.
What's more, the creative process has already begun, with the writer's room not only plotting out the first series of the show but also looking to the future as they calculate the best way to portray this story on the screen. Disney is banking on the Percy Jackson show being a huge property for their future.
It Will Probably Be Another 2 Years
That being said, Riordan has stated that it might even be another two years before fans actually get to see the series. He said he takes anywhere from six months to a year to write a book alone.
He also mentioned that writing a TV script is much harder than that since it is a collaborative effort and each episode will probably take a while to write and finalize. Plus they still need to cast, film, and complete all of the post-production.
Logan Lerman Would Be Interested In A Role
Once the news came out that there will be a new adaptation from Disney+, Logan Lerman (who played Percy Jackson in the 2010 and 2013 films) stated that he would definitely be interested in some kind of role in the new series.
He obviously would not play Percy again, but many fans are rooting for him to become Poseidon. Though it is unlikely Disney will associate itself with the Fox films, Lerman's appearance would definitely be a nice touch for the Percy Jackson live-action project.
Casting Has Begun
As the production continues casting has also begun. Although there are sure to be some big-name stars attached to some of the older roles, with the Greek Gods likely getting some famous faces, it appears that the team is casting unknowns for the lead roles.
A casting call has already been put out for anyone to audition for the main roles in the show. It appears that Disney is casting younger actors as well, confirming that they will try to match the books as closely as possible. It's an exciting time to be a fan, as they could potentially be starring in the show itself!
They Have A Full Team
The team working behind the scenes on the series is fully stocked up and complete. They have a full writing and development team to keep pushing through edits of the first episode and overall outlining of the first season.
Riordan has stated that he and the team spent the first few months of the project getting to know one another and learning of their work habits and what they all want for the series so that they can better adjust to one another and work in simpatico.
The Search For A Director
According to MovieWeb, Rick Riordan is also looking for the final piece of the puzzle –the missing director. While there are plenty of Disney and non-Disney fantasy projects out there with stellar directors, Riordan is looking for the perfect candidate to help bring this story to a new generation.
It comes down to a number of things including their vision for the project, their scheduling as well as their understanding of the material itself. Once again, Disney is sure to not make the same mistakes as the past films to secure the future of the franchise. No names have currently come forward as top contenders for the position.