Screen Rant's Pitch Meeting series tackles Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Fox's second attempt at bringing Rick Riordan's beloved middle grade books to the big screen. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians novels tell the story of Percy, a 12 year old boy who discovers he's actually the demigod son of Poseidon. The series contains 5 books, though Riordan later went on to continue Percy's story with the Heroes of Olympus novels. With many believing Percy Jackson to be the next Harry Potter, it was no surprise when Fox brought the first book, The Lightning Thief, to the big screen in 2010.
Though it didn't exactly wow audiences, The Lightning Thief was enough of a success to yield a sequel. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters was released in 2013 and once again starred Logan Lerman as the titular hero. Directed by Thor Freudenthal, the movie earned mixed-to-negative reviews and a worldwide box office total of $200.9 million on a $90 million budget. On top of that, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters earned the ire of both Riordan and book fans who were displeased with the many liberties taken with the source material.
As The Lightning Thief has already been covered, it's only fitting that the sequel gets its turn in the Pitch Meeting spotlight. Screen Rant's ongoing YouTube series has released a new episode centered on Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. In it, Ryan George imagines what likely went down in the Fox offices when the movie was being developed. Hint: It was pretty ridiculous. Check it out below.
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
Fans of the Percy Jackson series will know the Sea of Monsters movie barely resembles the book it is based on. The film retains Percy's quest for the Golden Fleece, but also tacks on a major plot point from later in this series: The rise of Kronos. Those familiar with the books were baffled by the change, seeing as Kronos is Percy Jackson's overarching villain, not unlike Voldemort in Harry Potter. The jumbled story is just one of the issues many have with the Percy Jackson movies.
Luckily, there's hope for a better adaptation, as Riordan is partnering with Disney+ to create a Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The project is still in the early stages of development, but Riordan's involvement has inspired confidence among fans. Casting is currently underway for the role of Percy, and it's guaranteed he'll be the correct age this time (as the movies made him older). By the time this show arrives in a few years, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters will be a long-forgotten memory.