After finally getting the green light last month, it appears that Disney’s Percy Jackson adaptation is being fast-tracked.
After recapping his recent trip to Vancouver in his latest blog post, series author Rick Riordan revealed that production is expected to begin this June.
More specifically, Riordan wrote: “We are due to start filming on June 1, assuming all goes as planned, and Becky and I will be there from day one!”
Being that June 1st is a little over 3 months away, that means that the casting process has either already begun, or has concluded. In either case, we expect even more updates in the coming weeks.
Riordan will write the project alongside Jon Steinberg (Black Sails). Steinberg and his producing partner Dan Shotz will oversee the series. James Bobin (Disney+’s The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Muppets) is directing the first episode.
The series will follow the storyline of the original five-book series, beginning with the first titled The Lightning Thief. In it, the 12-year-old Percy Jackson learns that he is a demigod. Just as he begins to come to terms with his newfound supernatural powers, sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Soon after, Percy must trek across America to find it and restore order to Olympus.
If renewed for more seasons the series will then tackle each new book for every season.
A premiere date for the series hasn’t been set, nor has any casting been announced. Riordan, Steinberg, Shotz, and Bobin will serve as executive producers along with Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, and Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, and D.J. Goldberg.
This isn’t the first attempt at bringing the franchise to life. Some might recall a film series based on the books that launched in 2010. While the first film was a box office success, the second one tanked. This led 20th Century Fox, who owned the rights to the franchise at the time ,to cancel any other planned sequels. Disney inherited the rights when it purchased Fox in 2019.
SOURCE: Rick Riordan
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