After years of anticipation, fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will finally witness a screen adaptation of the cherished young adult novels, backed by the author himself, arriving on December 20. The eagerly awaited series will make its debut on Disney+ with a pair of initial episodes, followed by a weekly release schedule.
The premiere date was unveiled through a fresh teaser for the project, offering audiences a first glimpse of Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadri embodying the roles of Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood, respectively.
The teaser commences with a voiceover by Virginia Kull in the role of Percy’s mother, Sally Jackson. “The tales I’ve shared with you about Greek deities and demigods—they’re not mere stories,” she asserts as visuals of Camp Half-Blood, Percy ascending the elevator to Olympus, encounters with Ares (Adam Copeland), and various clashes with mythic monsters unfold. As the trailer concludes, Glynn Turman, portraying Mr. Brunner, also known as Chiron, welcomes Percy with the words, “Percy Jackson. We’ve been anticipating your arrival.”
The inaugural season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians draws inspiration from “The Lightning Thief,” the initial installment in the Percy Jackson series. At 12 years old, Percy discovers his demigod heritage and grapples with his newfound divine abilities. However, his world is thrown into chaos when Zeus accuses him of stealing his potent lightning bolt. Assisted by Annabeth and Grover, Percy embarks on a quest to locate the bolt and restore harmony to Olympus.
The ensemble cast features Lin-Manuel Miranda, Megan Mullally, Toby Stephens, the late Lance Reddick, Jason Mantzoukas, Jay Duplass, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Olivea Morton, Suzanne Cryer, Timm Sharp, and Timothy Omundson.
Rick Riordan, the author behind the “Percy Jackson” books, co-wrote the initial two episodes in collaboration with Jon Steinberg, who shares co-showrunner responsibilities with Dan Shotz. The initial two episodes were directed by James Bobin. The team of executive producers includes Riordan and his wife Rebecca Riordan, along with Steinberg, Shotz, Bobin, Bert Salke, Jim Rowe, Monica Owusu-Breen, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson, and the Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.