Percy Jackson and the Olympians just wrapped up its first season on Disney+. But can the adaptation of the hit novels get another season to continue the story? Here’s what we know!
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 finale
Adapting the novels from Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows the title character (Walker Scobell), who discovers he’s the half-human son of the god Poseidon. After attending a camp for other demigods, Percy learns he’s being blamed for stealing Zeus’ thunderbolt. Joined by friends Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Percy goes on a quest to find it, clashing with other monsters.
The Season 1 finale made a big change from teh books as Percy found the thunderbolt but missed the deadline to return it, instigating a ware between the gods.
After discovering that Kronos had set this whole thing up, Percy recovered the thunderbolt and gave it to Zeus (Lance Reddick), with Percy’s dad giving himself up to save his son. Percy then learned his friend from camp, Luke (Charlie Bushnell), the son of Hermes (Lin-Manual Miranda), was the one who stole the thunderbolt and aided Kronos in trying to overthrow the gods. He and Percy battled with Luke escaping.
That adapted the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief. It’s logical that Season 2 will follow the plotline of the second book, The Sea of Monsters. But will it happen?
The blocks to a second season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians
On the one hand, it may sound good for Disney to greenlight another season. Per Deadline, the show has been one of the most-watched for the streamer with a staggering 700 million minutes, making it the third-most-watched streaming original that week.
The series has also been met with positive reviews and fans enjoying it far more than the 2010 live-action movie. Riordan’s involvement with the series, updating some aspects of the novels, has aided it.
However, there are obstacles, not the least of which is the budget, as each episode costs a reported $10-15 million due to the special effects. Indeed, a few aspects of the original book, such as the character Argus, were cut as they would have put too much of a strain on the budget.
Disney+ has been notable for not only canceling a variety of shows but even removing them from the streamer. This makes it iffy if Percy Jackson gets a Season 2.
The good news for Percy Jackson Season 2
Thankfully, there is good news as showrunner Jon Steinberg spoke to Variety on how a writers' room has already gathered for Season 2. A network doesn’t allow that unless they have plans to renew a series.
“There is an awareness on everyone’s part that the demand for the show seems to suggest we should probably not stop making it.”
There will be issues, one of the biggest being how to handle Zeus, as sadly, this was the final role for veteran actor Lance Reddick, who unexpectedly passed away in 2023. Steinberg is unsure if the role would be recast or if the writers find a way to write around Zeus.
With four more books in the series, there’s plenty of potential for the show to continue and give more adventures for fans. So, both Percy Jackson buffs and newbies hope that lightning strikes twice for the series.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 streaming on Disney+.