Percy Jackson reloaded: will the new series steal Zeus’s thunder? (trailer)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a series that’s been through the Minotaur’s labyrinth and back just to find its rightful place on our telly screens. So, let’s dive into this mythical pool, shall we? It’s Disney+, folks, finally putting their demigod dollars to proper use!

First off, the series is doing a jazz hands routine with a lineup of production houses. We’ve got Quaker Moving Pictures, Co-Lab21, James Bobin, Inc., and a few more dancing to the siren’s song. With a battalion like that, you’d think they’re preparing to besiege Olympus or something. Now onto the star of the show, young Walker Scobell, stepping into Percy’s soggy trainers. Must be nerve-wracking to fill shoes that can walk on water, eh? Alongside him, Leah Sava Jeffries is playing Annabeth, so she better have her strategy cap on. And as for Percy’s satyr sidekick Grover, Aryan Simhadri is taking a hoofed stroll in those hairy legs. So far, so Camp Half-Blood.

The show’s been under the Hermes’ helm of development since May 2020, and by the Oracle’s prophecies, we’re getting it on December 20, 2023. Filming’s already wrapped up like a Mummy in Hades, so the papyrus has been sealed.

The premise? Twelve-year-old Percy is in hotter water than usual, accused by Zeus—no less—of swiping his thunderbolt. It’s like stealing an old man’s newspaper but with more thunder and lightning. Also, cue a ton of iconic Greek myth characters played by actors who’ve got their work cut out for them. There’s even a final appearance by Lance Reddick as Zeus, and I dare say, it better be Olympian.

Now, what’s the word from the grapevine? Rick Riordan, the man behind the myth, had his scepticism about Disney’s treatment of his books. Mind you, he’s had a rocky road with adaptational liberties before. Remember the films? Of course you do, though Riordan probably wishes you didn’t. But, this time, he’s keeping an Oracle’s eye on the project. He’s even co-writing the pilot with Jonathan E. Steinberg, so let’s hope it doesn’t end up as another Greek tragedy. Each season aims to adapt a single book, kicking off with ‘The Lightning Thief’. Considering the first season’s got only eight episodes, expect the plot to move faster than Hermes on a caffeine rush. And hey, they’re already writing for a potential second season, even though it’s not greenlit yet. Optimism or hubris, only the Fates can tell.

So, if you’ve been yearning for a Percy Jackson series that doesn’t make you want to feed yourself to Cerberus, mark your calendars. This December, grab your popcorn, put on your Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, and get ready to ride Pegasus straight into this new Olympian world. Fingers crossed it’ll be a Dionysian revel rather than a Herculean labor!