Disney+ is about to get mythical. The streamer just released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming live-action series Percy Jackson and the Olympians which promises to bring Rick Riordan's hit novel series to a bold new life.
Premiering in 2005 as the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, Percy Jackson soon became a hit with YA readers. They were adapted into the 2010 film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, with a 2013 sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters following.
The film franchise died out, but now Disney+ is reviving the idea in a new series with Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz as showrunners. The plan seems to be for each season to adapt one novel in the series and expand in ways the movies couldn't.
What is Percy Jackson about?
The first season adapts the initial novel, The Lightning Thief. Percy Jackson appears to be the typical high school kid when he goes on a class trip to the museum. There, his teacher suddenly transforms into a harpy to attack him and demand he return what he stole.
Percy soon discovers he's the half-mortal son of Poseidon and his best friend Grover is a satyr who's been watching over him. Percy is enrolled in a special camp for other demigod children, where he befriends Annabeth, the daughter of Athena.
Unfortunately, someone has stolen Zeus' all-powerful thunderbolt and (despite not even knowing about this world), Percy is being blamed for it. He and his friends go on a quest to find the thunderbolt, which has them clashing with various mythology figures and trying to save the world.
Who stars in Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
The main cast is mostly unknown, with Walter Scobell as Percy, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover.
Notable supporting roles include Jessica Kennedy Parker as Medusa, Adam Copeland (aka WWE star Edge) as Ares, Toby Stephens as Posiedon, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes and, in what is sadly his final role, the late Lance Reddick as Zeus.
- Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson
- Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase
- Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood
- Virginia Kull as Sally Jackson, Percy's selfless mother.
- Glynn Turman as Chiron / Mr. Brunner, a centaur disguised as Pery's teacher
- Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus / Mr. D, the head of Camp Half-Blood
- Megan Mullally as Alecto / Ms. Dodds, Percy's stern mathematics teacher who serves the god Hades as one of the three Furies.
- Timm Sharp as Gabe Ugliano, Sally's husband and Percy's abusive stepfather.
- Dior Goodjohn as Clarisse La Rue, a strong-willed daughter of Ares who bullies Percy.
- Charlie Bushnell as Luke Castellan, a swordsman who is the counselor of the Hermes cabin.
- Adam Copeland as Ares
- Olivea Morton as Nancy Bobofit
- Suzanne Cryer as Echidna, the menacing mother of monsters.
- Jessica Parker Kennedy as Medusa
- Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hermes
- Jay Duplass as Hades
- Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus
- Lance Reddick as Zeus
- Toby Stephens as Poseidon
The series premieres its first two of eight episodes on December 20 on Disney+. It looks to be a fresher take on the novels but is still faithful to the story to enthrall fans of these fantasy epics.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians premieres December 20, 2023 on Disney+.