Fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians were happy to hear Disney+ had renewed the series for a second season. But it also leads to the question of whether Disney will truly adopt every novel in the popular series.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians began in 2005 with The Lightning Thief. Author Rick Riordan crafted the tale of the title character, who discovers he’s the half-human son of the Greek sea god Poseidon and is soon involved in a war of mythological creatures.
The seven-novel series was a hit with readers, and it was no surprise Hollywood took notice. However, the 2010 film Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief wasn’t well received by fans because it changed several parts of the book. A follow-up, Sea of Monsters, was more disappointing.
Thankfully, Disney stepped in to develop the show, with Riordan himself involved in updating the story. Season 1 adapted The Lighting Thief, culminating in a setup of Percy and his friends Annabeth and Grover ready to face more challenges.
The show has become one of Disney+’s biggest hits, and thankfully, another season has been ordered. As for what the plotline for Season 2 will be, Riordan himself confirmed it will adapt the second book, Sea of Monsters.
“I can’t wait to bring the next season of Percy Jackson to Disney+! Raise anchors. Hoist the mainsail. All hands on deck, demigods. We’re heading for the Sea of Monsters!”
Speaking to Deadline, executive producer Jon Steinberg confirmed work on the scripts was going well. "They’re in really good shape. I think starting to boot up this machine again is an undertaking. There’s a lot of trains leaving the station all at the same time. But I think we’re feeling really good about creative and about how to plan for how to tell the stories."
This leads to the key question of fans: Will the series truly adapt all the novels or not?
Can the show adapt all the Percy Jackson novels?
For the record, there are five key novels in the Percy Jackson series:
- The Lightning Thief
- Sea of Monsters
- The Titan’s Curse
- The Battle of the Labyrinth
- The Last Olympian
The series appeared to end in 2009. However, Riordan did return in 2022 with The Chalice of the Gods, with Percy now preparing for college. It was a tie-in to his The Heroes of Olympus novel series. A seventh book, Wrath of the Triple Goddess, is scheduled to be released in September 2024.
So with Season 2 adapting Book 2, the logical move is the TV series lasts five seasons, adapting each book. Of course, there are some issues, such as the budget, given each book is more lavish than the last one and requires a larger cast. Even Disney has to limit the pocketbook to make this series come in under budget.
There’s also the actors. A major reason why Season 2 is already underway is to get the young actors before they’re too old to be believable as teenagers. There can also be the logistics of filming and the long post-production work for the big special effects. One idea may be Disney wanting to combine two of the later books into one season to cut down on the larger costs.
There’s also the mild possibility Disney may decide to do a Heroes of Olympus spin-off show. After all, they’re already experienced with large franchises with the MCU and Star Wars shows, and keeping to this would be good.
As it stands, everyone is now focused on making Season 2 before looking ahead to the next year. But with Percy Jacson such a huge success and Disney’s love of franchises for their streamer, it’s possible the Olympians’ quest will continue to truly be a novel for television.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 is streaming on Disney+.