Rick Riordan’s epic children’s fantasy series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is finally getting the adaptation it deserves.
The Disney+ teaser that debuted at the D23 Expo: 2022 has demigods all around the world excited that the beloved series will have another (hopefully more faithful) book to live action adaptation.
Here are the top 5 reasons why like us, you should be excited about the upcoming Disney+ series.
1. Rick & Becky Riordan Are Working On The Series
Having the author work on the project has our tick of approval. As the Executive Producer, Rick Riordan and his wife Becky will bring his beloved characters and their stories to life, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
These two working on the series means the characters, plot and world-building will be true to the source material and reflect the work that has captured so many people’s hearts.
2. The Actors & Their Characters Are Age Appropriate
One of the main criticisms of the previous films was that the actors were aged up. So, while we love Logan Lerman and his Percy, he wasn’t exactly the 12-year-old demigod hero we imagined in the books.
By aging up the characters, there were interesting additions to the story like lotus flower drugs, losing crucial plot points, and changing the dynamics between certain characters.
In this adaptation, we’ll get to watch the characters grow as we did in the novels, a feeling fans of the Harry Potter series will understand all too well.
3. It Will Stick Closely To The Books
Change is inevitable when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations. However, having the series follow the books so closely means that key scenes, places, characters, and their relationships with one another will likely be taken directly from the novels and enhanced for the best onscreen version.
4. A Book A Season
A book a season means a well-thought-out series!
Percy is 12 in the first book and turns 16 by the end of the fifth book. So, each season will span one year allowing the themes, characters, and the world of Percy Jackson to be properly explored without compromising key elements of the series.
5. Diverse & Inclusive Casting
Riordan and the team weren’t casting based on specific ethnicities or the physical appearances that matched those of the books, they were looking for the best actors to portray each character and bring them to life.
The casting announcement of our trio played by Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Aryan Simhadr was mostly met with positivity. However, Jeffries endured some racism as a black girl playing a character who is described as white in the novels.
There’s no doubt in our mind that Jeffries and the rest of the cast, no matter how different their physical attributes to their book counterparts, will truly embody the characters that we fell in love with in the books.
Get ready demigods, because Percy Jackson and the Olympians is coming to Disney+ in 2023!
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