Author Rick Riordan confirms Disney+'s highly anticipated Percy Jackson pilot has gained The Muppets director James Bobin. Once expected to be the next Harry Potter, Riordan's hit Percy Jackson book series initially struggled in its first page-to-screen adaptation. Fox turned the first two books into movies in 2010 and 2013, but they failed to win over fans of the source material. As a result, the dedicated Percy Jackson fanbase has waited for a proper adaptation for years. Finally, Riordan confirmed last year Disney+ is in development on a Percy Jackson series, and the author himself is working alongside the creative team.
Since being announced in 2020, Percy Jackson has gradually moved through development, and Riordan has helpfully kept everyone updated on its progress. He initially suggested the show wouldn't premiere until 2022, but then later revised that to say a 2023 premiere is more likely. Casting for the lead role of Percy got underway back in April, but no names have emerged just yet. Most recently, Riordan revealed back in September that the Percy Jackson scripts are in the midst of being written.
Now the series has taken a major step forward by picking a pilot director. Initially reported by The Hashtag Show, Riordan confirmed in a blog post on Sunday that James Bobin has been tapped as Percy Jackson's first director. Bobin's past credits include episodes of Da Ali G Show and The Flight of the Concords, plus movies like 2011's The Muppets and Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Most recently, he helmed the pilot for Disney+'s The Mysterious Benedict Society, another YA adaptation that has been largely praised by fans. Riordan had this to say in favor of Bobin's hiring:
James knows the Percy books well. His kids are fans. His humor is wonderful. We are in good hands, demigods, and lucky to have him joining our team. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes the way we expect!
Additionally, Riordan reveal the casting department has picked up once again, and that Percy Jackson is expected to film in Vancouver. All in all, these are positive developments for the show. Fans might be disappointed to not have something like a lead actor or a premiere date, but Percy Jackson is very clearly in active development and could begin production in the first half of 2022. Riordan's own enthusiasm for the project remains promising, and Bobin's recent experience with The Mysterious Benedict Society positions him as an ideal choice for Percy Jackson.
With Percy Jackson, Riordan has created an expansive world that even led to a spin-off and sequel series. Whether its Disney+ show will find the same success remains to be seen, but there are a lot of high expectations attached to this one. Riordan has often stated his dissatisfaction with the movies, which largely stemmed from the decision to age up the characters and deviate from the books' plots. So far, it sounds like the Percy Jackson series is working to avoid those issues, and that alone is a promising thing. Hopefully more updates will emerge soon!
Source: Rick Riordan, The Hashtag Show