Rick Riordan wanted his Disney+ Percy Jackson series to be on the same scale as the streamer’s biggest shows like The Mandalorian and WandaVision. Well, that is what the studio is giving his highly-anticipated series.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which is currently in production, will be the first project to be made on Industrial Light & Magic’s newly-built StageCraft LED stage, which features a 95-ft. LED screen. This is ILM’s fifth permanent StageCraft volume. ILM, a division of Disney’s Lucasfilm, also maintains two virtual production stages in Manhattan Beach, Calif., one at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., and one at Pinewood Studios in London.
The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi used the technology in Manhattan Beach, while the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder used it in Sydney, Australia. Marvel Studios’ upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania used the technology in London.
“The story of Percy Jackson has such an epic scope,” said Riordan, who serves an an exec producer, of his fantastical story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, who will be played by Walker Scobell. “I am over the moon that we have forged such a great relationship [with ILM] to give this show such a cutting-edge look and feel.”
The live-action show tells the fantastical tale of the titular 12-year-old modern demigod (Scobell), who’s just coming to terms with his newfound supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With help from his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must embark on an adventure of a lifetime to find it and restore order to Olympus. Grover is a satyr, half boy and half goat, disguised as a 12-year-old boy, and is the best friend of Percy. Annabeth is the true daughter of the Greek goddess, Athena.
The series also stars Aryan Simhadri, Leah Sava Jeffries, Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth), Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), Virginia Kull (The Big Bend), Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Timm Sharp (Blunt Talk), Olivea Morton, Dior Goodjohn, and Charlie Bushnell.
If renewed for more seasons the series will then tackle each new book for every season.
A premiere date for Percy Jackson and the Olympians 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.
