The upcoming Disney+ Percy Jackson series has found its Hermes in Lin-Manuel Miranda. The show is based on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, which is currently one of the best-selling book series in the world, with over 180 million copies sold. The books were adapted into two films, The Lightning Thief in 2010 and Sea of Monsters in 2013, which were met with mixed-to-negative responses from critics and fans. The Disney+ series is set to premiere sometime in early 2024.In May 2020, it was announced that Disney+ was creating a Percy Jackson television adaptation, despite concerns from Riordan in 2018 that he would have little creative control if Disney were to produce a Percy Jackson reboot. Casting began on the series in April 2021, and one year later, Walker Scobell was cast in the title role. The following month, Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries were cast in the roles of Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase, respectively. Since then, more casting announcements have come in waves, the most recent being that WWE wrestler Adam Copeland will be portraying Ares, and The Flash alum Jessica Parker Kennedy will be playing Medusa.
Now, Percy Jackson has cast Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes. In the Percy Jackson series, Hermes is not only the messenger god but also the father of Luke Castellan, who Charlie Bushnell will play. Miranda is an admitted fan of Riordan's books and has said he often reads the Percy Jackson series with his son. See the casting announcement from the Percy Jackson Twitter account above.
How The Percy Jackson Show Will Differ From The Movie
While Miranda became a household name for creating and starring in the 2015 musical Hamilton, he is no stranger to the fantasy genre. Miranda stars as Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby in the His Dark Materials television adaptation, which is set to enter its final season on December 5. Despite Lee's death in the season 2 finale, it was announced last month that Miranda would return for season 3. Percy Jackson is set to be Miranda's next major television role.
Unlike the fairly disappointing film adaptations of Percy Jackson, longtime fans are eager to see the television series hit screens. Riordan famously had little to no creative control over The Lightning Thief and stepped away from the film series entirely with The Sea of Monsters. Riordan has even gone so far as to write an open letter to teachers, asking them not to screen the Percy Jackson films in classes. However, with Riordan and his wife very closely involved with the production of the Disney+ series, fans are hoping that the television show will be the faithful Percy Jackson adaptation they've been waiting for.
Source: Percy Jackson/Twitter