It’s finally happening! Percy Jackson is finally going to get the hype it deserves. The Percy Jackson and The Olympians book series by Rick Riordan has been picked up by Disney+ with the author on board and excited for what is to come.
The five-book series was adapted into two films, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, which received mostly negative views from critics and fans. The films changed the plot, aged up characters and were far less nuanced than the novels. Fans have been lobbying for years for a more truthful adaptation to be created.
Rick Riordan announced the upcoming series on Twitter, hinting that the Disney+ version will be more faithful to the text. He wrote:
‘Hey Percy Jackson fans, for the past decade, you’ve worked hard to champion a faithful on-screen adaptation of Percy Jackson’s world. Some of you have even suggested it would be a great series for Disney+. We couldn’t agree more! We can’t say much more at this stage but we are very excited about the idea of a live-action series of the highest quality, following the storyline of the original Percy Jackson five-book series, starting with The Lightning Thief in season one. Rest assured that Becky & I will be involved in person in every aspect of the show. there will be much more news in the future, but for now, we have a lot of work to do! Buckle up, demigods. It’s going to be a fantastic, exciting ride!’
Logan Lerman, who played Percy in the film adaptations, reacted positively to the news, tweeting, ‘Excited to see this! Hope it gets the adaptation the books deserve. Congrats @RickRiordan.’
The series follows Percy Jackson, a regular teenager who learns that he is the son of Poseidon and a demigod. In the first novel, Percy is accused of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt, kicking off an adventure into the underworld. The novels are full of adventure, mythology, drama and excitement, and the characters are far more diverse than the average young adult novel. Riordan’s expansive universe contains black characters, Chinese characters, Cherokee characters, LGBTQ characters, disabled characters, all with complex and interesting personalities.
The series has the potential to be as big as the Harry Potter and The Hunger Games franchises and could spark a new generation of young readers. If any production company has the scope to portray the expansive mythological universe, Disney does. Let’s hope Percy Jackson is a hit the second time around.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan is available to purchase now from bookstores.
