Rumors have flying all over the Internet, but now it’s confirmed. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series will be coming to the Disney Plus streaming service. Given that the format will be a series rather than motion pictures, the new production is planned to be much closer to the books than the movies were.
One of the biggest aspects of the Disney+ Percy Jackson series is that the author of the book series, Rick Riordan, and his wife, Becky, will be working on it. They are a part of the entire process from scripts to casting and even direction. This represents a huge turn for the franchise. Riordan had no say in the production of the original films, and to say he was disappointed in the outcome is an understatement. The fans weren’t all that happy either. Right from the start, Percy Jackson: & The Olympians The Lightning Thief completely deviated from the events of the first novel, leaving the story unrecognizable. With Riordan’s vision now unconstrained, this could well be the next big thing for the Disney+ streaming platform.
The actor playing Percy Jackson will be younger, to match his age in the book, and so he can age naturally as Disney works their way through the series. The streaming platform has given a series order to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on author Rick Riordan’s best-selling series of novels.
The first season of the show is set to be based on The Lightning Thief. In this book, Percy learns that he is the son of Poseidon and has his first encounter with Camp Half-Blood. The season should cover his journey around America to clear his father’s name and search for a way into the underworld, which is where Percy believes Zeus’s lightning bolt is being held.
While on their quest, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth will encounter the Greek God Ares rather frequently. Routinely having to deal with Ares is a major plot point, but the God of War makes an appearance in the first film only as the big reveal at the end.
The project has been in development since May 2020, and now that it’s been greenlit, they can start casting. The series is expected to make its debut sometime in 2023.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
