Rick Riordan reveals appearances of satyrs and dryads in the upcoming Percy Jackson TV show. The acclaimed young adult fantasy writer has frequently provided updates on the progress of the new Disney+ adaption of his original books, being much more involved than he was in the poorly received movie adaptations from the 2010s: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Riordan will co-write the pilot episode of Disney's Percy Jackson reboot show and will receive creator credit for his contributions.
Percy Jackson will, like Riordan's books, follow the titular protagonist as he discovers that he carries the blood of a Greek Olympian god and that many Greek gods and creatures live in the modern day. Season 1 will cover Riordan's book The Lightening Thief, which sees Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth, and Grover, traveling across the country to rescue Percy's mom from Hades, God of the Underworld. Riordan continues to tease details about Percy Jackson and heap praise on the series, saying it is much closer in spirit to his books than the Logan Lerman-led films.
On his blog through rickriordan.com, Riordan has frequently discussed how the series is progressing. In his latest post, the author reveals that Percy Jackson is shooting scenes with satyrs and dryads. Riordan doesn't provide any more details about the scene itself, but admits to being thrilled by the production. He also continues to praise the trio of lead actors. Read his quote below:
Monday, I spent the day with satyrs and dryads. I really can’t tell you any more than that, but I don’t think I have ever grinned so much or tried not to laugh so much in my life. They delivered a perfect scene, and Aryan Simhadri was amazing.
Interestingly, while Grover (Aryan Simhadri) is a satyr (a human-goat hybrid), dryads (tree spirits) don't have a significant role in the original The Lightening Thief. While Riordan's comments don't reveal how prominent either satyr or dryads will be in the series, they do suggest that the new Percy Jackson TV show will be adding more details to the author's established story. Despite this minor change, Riordan's continued enthusiasm for the project bodes well for those who were disappointed by the 2010 and 2013 Percy Jackson movie adaptations. What's more, the show's age-appropriate casting and lengthening the adaptation to a TV series to let the narrative breathe are also good signs of the show's fidelity to its source material.
With Percy Jackson still at least a year away, fans will have to be content with tidbits of information from Riordan to quench their excitment about the new adaptation. Only time will tell if the series manages to live up to the lofty expectations set by the books, but with Riordan's continued approval and a more deliberate exploration of the story, audiences can look forward to the new series. The fact that the Percy Jackson show will feature satyrs and dryads as per the books is just another hint that it will have the humor, heart and creativity that made the books so special.
Source: Rick Riordan