What You Should Know About the Disney+ 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' Show

Rick Riordan, the author of the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" book series is getting a shot at redemption with the new adaptation to be released on Disney+. The books will revolve around demigods or "half-bloods" sired by Greek gods and their prophesied adventures against mythical monsters. Here are things you might want to know about the upcoming young adult TV show.

The Release Date

The announcement for the adaptation came around May 2020 on Twitter, and "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" (PJO) fans were ecstatic. Some were even saying that it could be as big as "Harry Potter," which we all know still has a growing fanbase until now.

The House of Mouse greenlit the show in January 2022, but it appears that the show has a long way to go. According to the author himself, filming would be done around January 2023, but considering the mythical theme of the show, post-production might take a while.

Riordan suggested that the series might be released around early 2024, as mentioned in Looper. Although, Walker Scobell, the actor playing the demigod Percy Jackson, said that the release might even be as early as late 2023.

The Cast

The announcement of actors and actresses who are set to play the characters has been met with mixed reactions. Some of the readers loyal to the source material are not too happy about the casting since they differ in appearance compared to how they were described in the books.

Ultimately, Rick Riordan defended the cast, especially Leah Jeffries who will be playing the demigod Annabeth Chase. He said that they were perfect for the role, regardless of accuracy in appearance. Riordan is known for his inclusivity even in his books.

Aryan Simhadri will be acting as Grover Underwood, Percy's satyr protector, and best friend. As for the other characters, Ares, who is one of the main characters in the first book, will be played by WWE's Edge or Adam Copeland, and Luke Castellan is played by Charlie Bushnell.

You'll also be glad to know that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the famous songwriter, is playing the Greek god Hermes. Other notable castings are also Timothy Omundson, who will be Hephaestus, and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor Jason Mantzoukas will be portraying Dionysus. 

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What to Expect for the Show

You'll be glad to know that the upcoming series is sticking to its source material this time. As opposed to the movie adaptations that Riordan refused to acknowledge, the TV show's cast will portray the characters as the same age in the books, according to ScreenRant.

The author is very much involved with the production this time to make sure that they get things right. Based on posts from the actors and the series trailer, we will be getting a more accurate Camp Half-Blood along with the known orange camp uniform under all the armor.

The book fanbase will also get to watch the actors grow along with the progression of the show, just as they did with "Harry Potter." There was not much room for maturity in the PJO movie franchise since they started off with the characters at the age of 16.

If they stick to the source material, then we won't be seeing Kronos as soon as we did in the movie franchise, wherein the trio immediately defeated the biggest villain in "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" and fans were deprived of the epic battle scenes in the last book.

Who knows, if the show achieves a certain level of success, it might continue to the next book series associated with PJO, which is the "Heroes of Olympus" series. It would certainly be exciting to see Roman demigods fight alongside Greek demigods.

Related: An "Eragon" TV Show for Disney+ Is in the Works - Here's What You Need To Know

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