Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Greek Gods, Teen Angst, and a Whole Lot of Trouble (trailer).
Get ready for a divine rollercoaster ride, as Percy Jackson and the Olympians swings onto Disney+. Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, this series is set to make Greek mythology cool again (or at least as cool as a bunch of squabbling ancient gods can be).
Walker Scobell straps on his demigod boots to play Percy Jackson, your average 12-year-old… who just happens to be the son of Poseidon. Talk about complicated family dynamics. He’s joined by Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri, who play Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, because what’s a teen hero without his loyal squad?
The plot? Oh, just a small matter of Percy being accused of stealing Zeus’s thunderbolt. You know, the kind of thing that happens all the time in New Jersey. With eight episodes, we’re in for a wild ride of mythical proportions, complete with satyrs, centaurs, and probably a few bad Latin puns.
The cast features a mix of fresh faces and seasoned actors. Virginia Kull steps in as Percy’s mom, while Glynn Turman hoofs it as Chiron/Mr. Brunner. And Jason Mantzoukas as Dionysus/Mr. D? Well, we can only hope he brings his brand of chaotic energy to the god of wine.
But wait, there’s more! Megan Mullally as a stern math teacher who’s actually one of Hades’ Furies? Talk about a tough grader. Timm Sharp plays Percy’s less-than-stellar stepdad, while Dior Goodjohn and Charlie Bushnell join as fellow demigod campers. And with Adam Copeland as Ares, expect some divine smackdowns.
And let’s not forget the guest stars. Olivea Morton, Suzanne Cryer, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jay Duplass, Timothy Omundson, Lance Reddick, and Toby Stephens add their own godly flair. Reddick’s appearance as Zeus is particularly poignant, marking one of his final roles.
Filming in Vancouver, the show promises to bring Camp Half-Blood to life, with some LED stage magic courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic. Sounds like they’re pulling out all the stops to make sure Percy’s world is as epic as possible.
What can we expect from this mythical mash-up? Teen angst, godly powers, and hopefully some answers to those age-old questions like, “If I’m a demigod, do I still have to do my homework?” Get ready to enroll in the most divine school of all: Camp Half-Blood, where the only thing more dangerous than a Greek god is the lunch menu.
So, mark your calendars for December 20, 2023, for the premiere of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It’s time to see if this series can capture the magic of the books and wash away the memory of those, let’s just say, less-than-stellar movies. Demigods, assemble!
